Calming the Christmas Jitters
Text: Luke 1:26-33 (KJV) 26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Matthew 1:18-25 (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. 22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Luke 2:1-20 (KJV) 1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 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 Savior, 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. 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
1st John 4:18 (NASB) 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
Introduction: All of us as Christians can agree that Christmas is supposed to be a happy and joyful time of the year. However, Christmas for many people is a time of great frustrations and fears. According to our text, fear involves punishment and has torment. All of us know that fear is a painful and distressing emotion.
• There is the fear of not having enough money to buy all of the necessary gifts that have become such an integral par of our culture.
• There is the fear of loneliness.
• There is the fear of not meeting everyone’s expectations.
• There is the fear of busy schedules to keep and places to go.
If Satan had his way, he would paralyze us with fear. He would use the fear of the unknown, the fear of death, the fear of rejection, the fear of failure, and the fear of tomorrow. Instead of us being bold soul winning disciples, Satan would desire for us to be weak, cowardly, and despondent.
However, we must remember that the antidote for fear is truth that is coupled with love. When we know our true position in Christ and love Him completely, there is nothing to dread. People who are fearful do not believe God’s truth. They believe Satan’s lies. Guilt makes men fear. Doubts breed fear. Nevertheless, when your sins are forgiven, guilt is gone and fear goes with it. When doubts are replaced with trust resting on God’s truth, we can be bold instead of afraid.
Three times, we find the admonition to “Fear not,” in the Christmas account. Let us look that these three occurrences to see how God dispelled fear with His truth.
I. Fear not-Mary (Luke 1:30) an affirmation of God’s purpose.
A. When God says you have nothing to fear, you do not have to be afraid!
B. Like Noah, Mary found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The word “favor” is the same word translated as “grace.” Divine grace and favor are synonymous. Any favor from God is the result of grace.
1. The angel said, Mary, you have FAVOR with God. He wants to use you (Luke 1:30). God was going to use Mary to bring His Son into the world.
2. Being chosen by God as His instrument to do His work can be a scary thing.
3. Notice God told Mary the truth regarding how He wanted to use her.
C. Knowing God loves us, we can surrender to His will with full confidence and no fear (v. 38).
II. Fear not-Joseph (Matthew 1:20) An assurance of God’s promise.
A. Joseph’s fear was a fear of sin.
1. Joseph’s fears came from not knowing all the facts and having doubts and suspicions about Mary’s moral purity. She was “found with child,” before they were married. A pregnancy cannot be hidden forever. It begins to show more and more. (Spiritual lesson: When Jesus comes into a person, it should show more and more with every new day!)
2. Joseph had thought that Mary morals were impeccable. He is disillusioned by the evidence that seems to say otherwise. Now he doubts. It appears that she has been disloyal.
3. In addition, this pregnancy could be a reproach upon his character! People today do not fear sin. Impurity causes them no alarm.
4. The situation looked hopeless. However, Joseph was about to learn that there are no hopeless situations—There are only people who have become hopeless about their situation.
B. God’s explanation—you are part of God’s plan in fulfilling His promise (vs. 22-23).
C. Joseph had to exercise considerable faith in God’s Word. God is pleased by faith.
III. Fear not- Shepherds (Luke 2:10)
A. You have a Savior. Jesus is come.
B. If our greatest need were education, God would have sent an educator.
C. If we needed technology, God would have sent us a technician.
D. If we needed money, God would have sent us an economist.
E. If we needed pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
F. Nevertheless, since our greatest need was salvation, God sent a Savior.
G. Jesus is the great fear remover, because He removes sin the main cause of fear.
H. A good message—“I bring you GOOD tidings.” The message of Christ coming as the Savior is GOOD NEWS. We could use some good news in this sin-sick world today!
1. A world filled with deaths; drugs; divorces; disease; and disasters.
I. A glad message—“I bring you good tiding of GREAT JOY…” Jesus needs to be our main source of joy. …
J. A global message—“…which shall be to ALL PEOPLE.” This message was not limited to one geographic area in Palestine. “God so loved THE WORLD…”
Conclusion: We sing…
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight!
Fear not… Jesus has come and is coming again!
