Christmas Courage
Selected Passages
December 8, 2013
Morning Service
One of the central messages that flows through the birth narrative is one of courage. We don’t necessarily think about courage when it comes to Christmas but without courage there would have been no Christmas. Courage is at the heart of every great and awesome thing that God wants to do. I think it is easy to forget this reality being so far removed from the first Christmas.
Courage was needed for several important reasons. Jewish society had become accustomed to living in fear. The people feared the common threads of everyday life like poverty and starvation. The people were severely oppressed by the Roman government. The economy was in shambles, taxation was at an all-time high and violence was rampant in the streets. These were days of great fear because the nation of Israel seemed to be lost in the midst of an incredible struggle to hold their identity and keep their faith.
It may be that the messages of the angels all included the words: Do not be afraid to counter the rising fear in the hearts of the Jewish people. On four different occasions the word of God was communicated through the work of angels. These words were vitally important in the communication of the gospel.
Zechariah: Do not be afraid your prayer has been heard
Mary: Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God.
Joseph: Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife
Shepherds: Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all nations
Reasons people were afraid
1. Sight of angels
Angels had not been sighted in Israel for several hundred years. There has been an absence of this kind of communication from God for a long period of time. When these visits take place, they are very rare. Many thought that a visit from an angel came at the time of death and that it meant that you were about to die.
2. Season of silence
It is important to remember that there has not been a recorded Biblical miracle since the time of Daniel. The lion’s den is the last recorded work of God in the nation of Israel. The thinking is that the lack of miracles was part of a general silence by God. The nation of Israel was looking for God to begin doing something new in the lives of the people.
3. Spiritual darkness
Israel was dealing with major issues regarding spiritual life. There was an increasing influence of paganism in Israel due to the occupying forces from Rome. However, the larger problem was the spiritual control of the leadership. The Pharisees and Sadducees strictly controlled the spiritual climate of Israel. They sought to keep their political power and often sacrificed the well being of the people to retain their control.
4. Sense of despair
Israel was occupied by the armies of Rome and was under the control of a tyrant in King Herod. The reality is that Israel was facing some of the most difficult times in its history. The Romans tried to force their faith on the Jewish people the result was massive numbers of crucifixions. There were so many executed that no family in Israel was left untouched by the tragedy. Rome eventually stopped the persecution because they got tired of killing Jews.
John writes about the reality of fear in his first letter.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18
The desire of God is not that we would live in fear but rather that we would walk by faith. The result of the Holy Spirit working in us reveals the fact that God’s love invades our lives. Love drives out fear. When we understand the depth of God’s love for us, we see that we do not need to fear. The moment God’s divine love takes over our lives, it takes away our fears.
Fear is a result of sin. We are afraid because we cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. God cannot and will not allow sin in His presence. The solution is simple, God gives us His Spirit to allow us to live a holy life. The perfect work of the Spirit is to change our hearts and give us His perfect love. Fear can only be driven from our hearts when it is replaced by God’s perfect love.
The Greek word phobos means to have fear, terror, fright or reverence. There is an understanding that fear is an absence of faith. There is a massive difference between living with fear and having the fear of the LORD. The fear of the LORD is a sense of awe, wonder or respect for God. Being afraid is reacting in an emotional manner and to possibly ignore faith. God calls us to live in an attitude of courage that helps us live in faith.
Why is God so concerned about the issue of fear?
1. Fear disrupts our ability to live in faith
Fear is the polar opposite of faith. There is no possible way that we can have an attitude of fear and be able to walk in a spirit of faith. It is because of our faith that we live a different lifestyle than the world around us. Faith changes us and helps us become more like Jesus.
We live by faith and not by sight. The things we see can have a way of drawing us back to fear. Fear is simply a form of spiritual bondage. We will never live in a spirit of freedom when we give in to fear.
2. Fear distracts our minds from the work of God
When we respond in fear, our minds are pulled from the right focus on God. Fear causes our minds to be distracted from the things that God wants to do. Fear places our focus on problems and circumstances. It causes us to lose sight of those things that truly matter.
Fear causes our focus to drift to things that lack eternal value. Fear makes us see things from an earthly perspective. Fear draws our view from eternity and places it on earth. We lose sight of heaven when we give our lives over to fear.
3. Fear discourages our hearts from trusting God
Fear drains our hearts of the needed courage to live with our trust in God. Each of the visits of the angels required a sense of trust.
Zechariah had to trust for a pregnancy in old age
Mary and Joseph had to trust in a divine birth
Shepherds had to trust the direction of God
When we allow fear to take root in our lives, we will find it increasingly difficult to trust God. Trust is at the center of our relationship with God. Faith is belief that God will do exactly as he has promised. Trust is the behavior that proves that faith. Both belief in God and the appropriate behavior are needed to walk with God. Fear discourages us from acting on our faith.
4. Fear deters our spirit from obeying God
Fear will prevent our spirit from doing what we know is right. Fear can be so powerful that it stops us from being obedient. The Holy Spirit seeks to give us guidance every day. We choose to listen and obey or to ignore and disobey. When we live in a spirit of fear, we will not obey God when it comes to discomfort or difficulty. Fear will cause us to believe that disobedience is the better choice.
Fear will make us forget our need to be faithful to God and forget His faithfulness to us. Obedience is always a choice and we will either rise above the spirit of fear or we will surrender to it.
5. Fear destroys our courage to follow God
Again and again we see the need for courage to follow God. Daniel needed courage to continue praying even with the punishment of death – he ended up in a lion’s den. Moses needed courage to face the Pharaoh in Egypt and deliver God’s message: set my people free. The disciples needed courage to leave their lives behind and follow Jesus.
Fear will always keep us from standing up to follow God. Fear will hold us back and convince us that we do not need to follow God. Fear speaks to our heart that the cost is too high. Fear destroys our ability to live with courage and keeps us from fully committing to God.
Things to remember when facing fear
1. We are never alone
There has never been a time in your life that God has ever left your side. It may feel like it at times but the truth is that He is with us, even in the most difficult of times.
2. God is working His plan not ours
God has a plan and He is putting that plan into motion. The hard part is that we also have plans and want God to include them in His but it doesn’t work that way. The plan that God has is far better than anything that we could come up with and we have to place our trust in Him. Trust means that we let go and let God have His way in our lives.
3. God desires to work in your life but you have to let Him
God desires to work in our lives and wants to bring that work to completion. God used ordinary people to accomplish His work and He still does so today. God wants to work in your life today but you have to let Him.
