Don’t Be Afraid
Luke 2:8-14 (And others)
December 5, 1999
Rev. Charles S. Mims
The Holy Bible, King James Version
Luke 2:8 through Luke 2:14 (KJV)
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel
of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign
unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a
manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, good will toward men.
On Halloween night my three-year-old grandson, Brian, couldn't sleep because he was convinced ghosts were in his room. "It's all in your head," his mother reassured him. "Now go to sleep."
Before she got down the stairs, his voice called out again. "Mom, the ghosts have left my head and are running around my room!"
n Ann C. Ayler, North, Virginia. Christian Reader, "Kids of the Kingdom."
Fear is a frightening thing! Now, I know that is about as useful a statement as saying water is wet, but in its redundant simplicity is a profound truth. The truth is that fear grabs hold of us and shakes us down to our bones. It can be totally incapacitating.
Nothing brings out the fear and dread quite like those few weeks preceding Christmas. Many folks are frightened to death of this holiday and all of its trappings. There are many things that we are afraid of during the Christmas season. Some are afraid of incurring debts to pay for purchases, some are just afraid they won’t be able to provide gifts for their families. Others are afraid to face the reality of a lost loved one, or to put aside memories of a less than happy holiday. Many are afraid of getting together with family, or afraid that they won’t have the time to do all that they have planned.
Me, I’m afraid of the stores. Yep, those stores strike a chord of fear in me that you wouldn’t believe. People run around like banshees trying to find the perfect gift, and the closer to Christmas it gets the worse the crowds get. I’m afraid to get out of my car most of the time for fear I’ll get in between someone and that last Ronco can opener or that I’ll keep someone else from getting their free ginsu knives!
This morning we are going to talk about four people in the Christmas story that were afraid. And with each--the desperate old man, the distinct young woman, the disappointed young man, and the dedicated servants— we are going to see where God told them to fear not.
A Desparate Old Man (Luke 1:5-25)
Let’s look first at a desperate old man.
Luke 1:13 (KJV)
13But 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.
Zacharias was getting up in years, and he had yet to produce a son. Now in today’s society that is not necessarily a bad thing. I have two lovely daughters myself and in no way to I feel slighted because I don’t have a son. Yet for a man of station in Biblical times such as Zacharias to have no male children was disgraceful. He realized that the time for him to father children was coming to a close and was desperate to have a child. Now, it was Zacharias’ job to offer prayers and burn incense on behalf of others. It’s not out of the realm of conceivability to believe that he may have been offering up prayers for himself as well during the times he was supposed to be praying for others. Desperation drives people to do things that they would not normally do. I remember a time I worked the midnight shift at a convenience store to bring home a paycheck. I didn’t like doing it, but was desperate to feed my family.
Zacharias was afraid. He was afraid that God would not hear his prayers. God did hear his prayers though. Just as with Zacharias, when we are most desperate, God hears our prayers and says to us “Fear not!” What a wonderful promise from God. What a wonderful exhortation for Him to give to us. We have no need to fear our circumstances because no matter what our lot in life, God WILL provide!
A Distinct Young Woman (Luke 1:26-38)
Luke 1:30 through Luke 1:31 (KJV)
30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast
found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Talk about being afraid! The penalty for adultery in Christ’s time was death. How else was Mary going to explain her sudden pregnancy? It wasn’t something she was going to be able to hide even if she wanted to. Mary had good reason to be afraid.
Mary was a very special individual. She was set apart from others. She’s even had a US postage stamp issued with her visage. In 1972 the USPS issued two Christmas stamps, one with a secular Santa Claus, and one with a religious theme. The religious stamp depicts a detail from a National Gallery of Art Painting, “Mary, Queen of Heaven,” by an unknown 16th century painter. The print order calls for one billion stamps each. One of the largest ever for Christmas stamps. The Roman Catholics venerate Mary to such a high level that their adoration for her could even be considered idolatry. Yet, all of this aside, Mary was important to the Christmas story. She was set apart, and made distinctive by being chosen to carry the Messiah.
We are distinct as well because we are the children of God. As Mary, we have nothing to fear. God says to us, “Fear not.”
A Disappointed Young Man (Matthew 1:18-25)
Matthew 1:18 through Matthew
1:21 (KJV)
18Now 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. 19Then Joseph her husband, being a
just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to
put her away privily. 20But 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. 21And she shall bring forth a
son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from
their sins.
Disappointment touches us all, and it seems to intensify during the holiday season. We set ourselves up for this fall by unrealistic expectations. It seems that we even encourage it. We went Thursday to the Pastors’ and Wive’s Christmas party and had a time of exchanging gifts. The rules of this gift exchange were if you wanted you could choose a gift from the tree, or take someone else’s. While this seems like good wholesome fun, what it generally degenerates into is a lack of appreciation for the gifts received. We always seem to want what someone else has, and are dissatisfied with what we have been given.
When I was a child I remember wanting a large set of Lego Building blocks. One day while going about my chores I found the box of blocks underneath a bed. I was so happy that I would be getting what I wanted for Christmas. Well, apparently my family knew I had stumbled across the gift, so they wrapped up something else and hid the blocks in a new place. On Christmas morning I opened up the replacement gift and was terribly disappointed.
As disappointing as this was, it can be nothing compared to the disappointment that Joseph must have been feeling. His fiancé had all of a sudden turned up pregnant. He had no other choice but to come to the conclusion that she had been unfaithful. Joseph knew the Jewish law, and knew that Mary would be under penalty of death. He loved her, and was a just man. He was going to send her away privately, but this too must have torn at his heart. Before he could make a decision God came to him and told him to “Fear not,” that all would be all right.
When our disappointments get the best of us this holiday season we need to remember that God is telling us not to be afraid. We need to remember that it’s all in God’s hands.
Dedicated Servants (Luke 2:8-14)
Luke 2:9 through Luke 2:10 (KJV)
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of
the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people.
When Handel composed “The Messiah,” for twenty-three days he completely withdrew from the things of the world. So immersed was he in his music that the food brought to him was often left untouched. Describing his feeling when the “Hallelujah Chorus” burst into his mind, Handel said, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself.”
That’s some dedication. I don’t like to go more than a few hours without food, but Handel was so dedicated to his work that he would forgo it days at a time. The results of that dedication are nothing short of spectacular.
The shepherds were dedicated men just as Handel. They were simply doing their jobs. Their dedication had some rewards however, they were told of the wondrous birth of Jesus! Can you imagine their fear when the chorus of angels began to sing? Something special was taking place, and God told them not to be afraid.
As we go about doing our business, surprising things will occur. Some of them good, others bad, but each time God will say to us “Fear not.”
Don’t be afraid this Christmas season. We serve a God who has conquered fear. A God who tells us to Fear Not. Won’t you lay your fears at his altar today and truly enjoy this holiday season? Put aside your fears and worship Him today.
©1999 by Claim The Victory Ministries, All Rights Reserved
South Peninsula Baptist Church
Daytona Beach, FL
Thanks to Pastor Jack Peters for the "seeds" to begin this message. http://www.alltel.net/~jpeters