Waiting without Fear

Matthew 1:18-21; Luke 1:26-33

Introduction:

Waiting… without Worry. Waiting without Hurry. Waiting without Fear

Waiting without fear is something Mary and Joseph had to hear as well.

Interesting:

FEAR: The first emotion experienced when faced with the news of the Coming King

DO NOT FEAR: 365x in the Bible: One for every day of the year??

Clear: Faith=Comfort

If that’s the case, why don’t we feel comforted more than we do??

So we’ll be unpacking the emotion of Fear this morning and how we are called to WAIT WITHOUT FEAR:

Outline:

Panic and Planning

Pendulum of Fear

Fear’s Fix

Panic and Planning

Mary’s Panic

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

Story:

Gabriel comes to Mary:

Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

Wide-eyed, knocking knees, pale, I imagine her dropping a piece of potery and completely frozen:

“Greatly Troubled”

Verb: “To cause acute distress”

Prefix on it that emphasizes it: “To cause acute distress throughout!”

So she’s pretty shaken up! Panicky. Horrified.

CAN YOU BLAME HER??

NO! Like, Mary stands in front of an extraterrestrial! How would you feel?

Sort of like that moment in Back to the Future, where Marty McFly wakes up with headphones over her ears with Eddie Veder shredding on the guitar. Marty looks up to see what he thinks is an alien who reveals his name as Darth Vadar from the Planet Volcan!

Now, fusing Vadar with Volcan may create anxiety twitches for some of you, but my point is Marty’s reaction, right!

FACE of Total fear!

So here she is before an Angel...

And what was the message?

“Do not be afraid, Mary...”

“Do not be afraid...”

Take that shock, awe, and horror and be comforted… Do not be afraid...

Joseph’s Planning

Joseph experiences something similar but different. Rather than see an angel awake, an angel appears to Joseph in a vivid dream...

Imagine the Process…

“Heartbroken, Joseph looks back on their relationship… He can’t fathom Mary cheating on him? That’s so not her. “Was I engaged to stranger?”

So he considers his options.

She’s obviously lying to me that she’s never been with another man, but I love her. She’s completely broken my heart, and man, it would be so easy to get back at her. I can break our engagement loudly, make her pay for her adultery.

But that’s not who I am… That’s not an option… So what are my options. I can’t think of anything other than just break off the engagement. I want say a thing about Mary. People will find out eventually what happened…

The bigger she gets, the bigger the problem will be for her if this other guy doesn’t step in…

So yeah. Final decision. It’s done. My love for her won’t end, but my future with her needs to… I love God’s law too much to marry her. I love Mary too much to go on with this relationship...

ESV: “But as he considered these things...” an Angel came…

Lit. “He had made up his mind.”

Joseph is afraid and he choses the option to remove himself from her sin.

CAN YOU BLAME HIM!?? NO!

So an angel approaches Joseph in a dream:

The unnamed celestial being:

Angel=Messenger

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear...”

Do not have shrink away from this situation. Do not flee.

The type of fear Joseph experienced is probably more like the anxiety we talked about last week: His whole life has been suddenly flipped upside down, but the Angel takes all these thoughts swirling through his mind and says:

v.20: “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife, which that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Don’t fear marrying Mary

Take all that anxiety you’ve been experiencing and put it to rest:

Don’t fear God’s wrath you may be fearing by marrying Mary.

Don’t fear being viewed as a sinner yourself…

Don’t fear Mary’s Story. She’s telling the truth.

Don’t fear the situation created for you, your son has come to save.

God designed this awkward position you have found yourself in!

And so within that conundrum, God sends an angel to invite him to not fear all that will come his way by marrying Mary.

The rejection. Those questioning his integrity and character. “Don’t fear marrying Mary” is a way to invite Joseph to fear man less and to fear God more.

Summary:

It’s interesting to me the different angels of fear:

Mary’s Moment of Trepidation

Freaked out, psychosomatic reaction to protect her life! She’s questioning her safety...

Joseph’s Monsoon of Trouble

For Joseph, it was the fear of marrying Mary. God placed him in an incredibly difficult situation.

Pendulum of Fear:

Pendulum=immediate panic to processing our troubles

Mary was instinctually shrinking back while Joseph decided to shrink back.

What they experienced was normal, but fear can run amuck beyond what’s normal…

Panic and processing can bleed into paranoia!

Last week, it was important to distinguish the difference between worry and anxiety

This week, it’s important to distinguish the different between fear and a phobia

Medical Community, they define fear and phobia differently:

Helpful Article:

Fear vs. Phobia: What’s the difference: by the editorial staff of the Recovery Village (https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/phobias/related/fear-vs-phobia/)

Fear is a natural emotion that protects people from harm when they face real and imminent danger.

A phobia is an excessive fear or anxiety related to specific objects or situations that are out of proportion to the actual danger they present.

Phobias cause significant disfuntion or discomfort due to avoidance behavior and the anxiety reaction that occurs when exposed to the phobic object or situation.

Difference between Fear and Anxiety:

“Fear is an emotional reaction to a specific, real danger, while anxiety is an intense fear that may be triggered b a stimulus that is excessive, unpredictable and unfocused.”

Fear=Our Survival Honing Devise!

It’s fear that keeps us in check and protected.

Fear is like our honing devise that constantly scans threats. Is this safe? Do I feel protected?

And when we do face fear, our bodies communicate to us physically:

Fear is PHYSICAL!

When we fear, adrenaline takes over and our rational part of the brain stops, well, thinking. We think in terms of ‘0’ and ‘1’: Fight or Flight…

Our heart rates go up and sweat glands open and hopefully that’s where the biological openings stop!

Our muscles receive more oxygen: Our bodies instinctually prepares to run!

But here’s what’s really interesting about fear… CHECK THIS OUT:

Scientists have studied how dopamine—the reward or pleasure chemical—how dopamine is produced once what is feared is no longer considered a threat

Source: “A Dopaminergic Switch for Fear to Safety Transitions” (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04784-7#Abs1)

Article:

“Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear? The science behind the appeal of haunted houses, freak shows, and physical thrills”

Source: (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/)

Dr. Margee Kerr professor: known as ‘Scare Specialist’: “To really enjoy a scary situation, we have to know we’re in a safe environment. It’s all about triggering the amazing fight-or-flight response to experience the flood of adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine, but in a completely safe space.”

In other words, fear can be addictive! There’s a reason why we have such a surge of horror films.

That transition from fear to comfort produces a surge of chemical kicks!

Just as FEAR IS PHYSICAL, COMFORT IS CHEMICAL!!

Example: Child being comforted:

Our brain chemicals are just waiting at the door of our synapses ready to go if comfort is provided:

There’s a reason why children seek comfort over and over and over again, even if there’s no blood in that owie! You put a bandaid over a spot that doesn’t need it, it’s the pleasure of being comforted that we so enjoy!

And so before we focus on Fear’s Fix, let’s make this personal:

None of you look like Marty McFly at the moment, and from what I can tell you are not completely horrified by what I’m saying...

You look good, listening, at peace...

But let’s not fool ourselves...

You may not fear your life at the moment, but perhaps you are really good at hiding your fears. You’ve managed to come across as peaceful, perhaps even fearless.

But inside, you are more in a chronic state of discernment, trying to determine what to do next, but never really feeling comfortable or at peace, always on edge of the cliff of doubt, or control…

If that is you: If you live as one who fears the unknowns lurking around the corner, I invite you to listen to FEAR’S FIX

Solution to Fear

Amazon’s list of books:

Fear as FuelFear LessFreedom from Your FearsThe Gift of FearFeel the Fear and Do is AnywayMastering Fear: A Navy Seal’s GuideFear is My Homeboy: How to Slay Doubt, Boss Up, and Succeed on your own termsVictory Favors the FearlessFearProof Your Life

Some of these books may be amazing, this is not a criticism of them per se...

BUT so many books!

People are afraid! Culture is paralyzed in it at times.

And can you blame us?? NO!

Different news sources and persuasions:

Climate change has destabilized Earth’s poles, putting the rest of the planet in peril

Omicron spreading swiftly, should not be dismissed as mild

More Americans left religion during the pandemic

‘So much destruction': Over 100 still unaccounted for in Kentucky after deadly tornadoes

Not to mention…

Fear of losing our jobs.Fear of people we work withFear of messing upFear of being teasedFear of saying the wrong thingFear of questioning your salvation

We can manage our fears, and sometimes we need professional help to process through them and that’s a good and healthy thing...

BUT THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION IS FOUND RIGHT HERE IN OUR PASSAGE:

For Mary and Joseph, they were put in the most precarious and unique situation in human history. All that they knew about the proper order of things, of how God operates were challenged by an angel’s message from the Lord: DO NOT FEAR.

It’s as if the Lord says: “I’ve got you, and I’ve got you in this!”

!The Angel’s Message from the Lord is COMFORT!

Mary:

“Do not fear, you have found favor with God.”

v.31: “You will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 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 father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Favor=Grace

Don’t fear, you are favored

Don’t hide your face, receive God’s grace.

It’s a similar type of message given to all of those who would later receive Jesus as their King!

Romans 5:1-3: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Joseph:

v. 20, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

God reminds Joseph: I’ve got you in this. Fear the Lord. Fear not men.

Invitation here is to embrace God’s message of grace and His plan to overshadow your fears.

The invitation today is to remember how God operates in his Kingdom. That he takes you and eclipses your heart with grace. As real as your fears feel, grace operating in your heart far exceeds it.

When faced with the NEWS about the KING, Mary froze and Joseph planned a divorce. You can’t blame them!

We fear as well, but we also know the whole story…

We know the grace distributed to all those in Christ on the Cross.

We understand the words, “DO NOT WORRY” in the light of Christ’s VICTORY over the scariest of evils.

The fearful sight of Golgotha is the picture of favor…

The fearful sight of Golgatha is the picture of favor.

I John 4:18-19: 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Don’t punish yourself any longer! Christ already took on that blow for you!

Take comfort…

Conclusion:

And so this message this morning is for the:

Doubters who chase assurance but never seem to grab it.

Planners who desire control over surrender.

Scared who hunger for a hug.

Anxious who can never feel peace.

Stuffers: To those who have stuffed their fears so far down that they only come to the surface through bursts of rage.

Unloved who lie to themselves that grace somehow operates less effectively for you.

The Lord has a word for you: DO NOT FEAR.

Be honest with yourself like Carlota is:

When she’s startled, she’ll do one thing: She cries out! Loudly, I assume??

Cry out to the Lord and may you feel his favor.

May HIS favor eclipse your fear. May you feel the dopamine kick of transitioning from FEAR TO LOVE.

Rest in his arms of grace…

Feel GOD’S FAVOR as you surrender to His plan as you wait for the COMING KING!