THE 3 FEAR NOTS OF CHRISTMAS
Lk. 1:26-33
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. 'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house; I searched for the tools to hand to my spouse. Instructions were studied and we were inspired, In hopes we could manage "Some Assembly Required."
2. The children were quiet (not asleep) in their beds, While Dad and I faced the evening with dread: A kitchen, two bikes, Barbie's town house to boot! And, thanks to Grandpa, a train with a toot!
3. We opened the boxes, my heart skipped a beat.... Let no parts be missing or parts incomplete! Too late for last-minute returns or replacement; If we can't do it, it goes in the basement!
4. When what to my worrying eyes should appear; But 50 sheets of directions, concise, but not clear; With each part numbered and every slot named; So if we failed, only we could be blamed.
5. And then in a twinkling, I knew for a fact; That all the toy dealers had indeed made a pact; To keep parents busy all Christmas Eve night; With "assembly required" till morning's first light.
6. We spoke not a word, but kept bent at our work; Till our eyes went bleary & our fingers all hurt. The coffee went cold and the night it wore thin; Before we attached the last rod and last pin.
7. Then laying the tools away in the chest; We fell into bed for a well-deserved rest. And I said to my husband just before I passed out; "This will be the best Christmas, without any doubt.”
8. “Tomorrow we'll cheer, ‘Let the holiday ring;’ And not have to run to the store for a thing!; We did it! We did it! The toys are all set; For the perfect, most perfect, Christmas, I bet!"
9. Then off to dreamland I gratefully went; but into my dreams came a darkening hint; “Those who think themselves free are often self-deluded; You forgot that batteries are never included!” [THE END]
10. Christmas can be complicated. For most people, Christmas is filled with joy. But for many, Christmas is a time of uncertainty, fears, loneliness, sadness or depression.
B. THESIS & TITLE
1. We all have fears. In Australia there was a 747 jet that attempted to take off, but had to cancel due to engine failure. Who was on that 747? A planeload of people taking their first flight after completing a course on "How to overcome your fear of flying!" What irony!
2. But regardless of your fears, God gives us great consolation by assuring us 3X in the Christmas story not to be afraid.
3. The title of this message is "The Three ‘Fear Nots’ of Christmas." The 1st “Fear-Not” involved Mary feeling...
I. UNWORTHY, BUT SHE WAS HIGHLY FAVORED!
26 God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth...27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 ...“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words...30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Lk. 1:26-33.
A. SAINTS WHO FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD
1. Imagine if an angel appeared to you. What if it said, “You have found favor with God.” Wouldn’t those be wonderful words to hear? Finding favor with God is all-important.
2. NOAH, Gen. 6:8. Out of a whole generation, one man found favor and he & his family were spared.
3. MOSES, Ex. 33:12. Favor allowed Moses special closeness with God.
4. SAMUEL, 1 Sam. 2:26; DAVID, Acts 7:46 KJV.
5. Finding favor meant they could have God’s blessings & protection.
B. DEFINITION OF…
1. The possession of favor, is characterized as "pleasing" God. "When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" Prov. 16:7.
2. Heb. 11:5; Enoch was translated (raptured) because he pleased God.
3. But God's favor is not based on our works, but on God's choice of us from eternity – due to His knowledge we would put our personal faith in Jesus! The Favor of God – in our time – is based on what Jesus did on Calvary & our trust in Him and His atonement.
C. THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
1. Mary was just a poor, ordinary nobody. She was nothing special in the natural. She was similar to us! But God chose her. God's favor made the difference.
2. The angel told Mary, "You are highly favored, the Lord is with you, you are blessed!"
3. The Greek word for "highly favored" is the same word used to describe every believer "accepted in the Beloved" (Christ) Eph. 1:6, KJV. IN CHRIST YOU’RE HIGHLY FAVORED!
4. THIS MEANS:
a. Just as Mary was special, so are you! Just as the Lord was with Mary, so He is with you!
b. Just as Mary was blessed above all the women of the world, so you are blessed above all peoples, for God has chosen you.
c. HUMOR. Jesus is the Gift which blesses everyone. This reminds me of the dad who asked his family to get him a gift that everyone could get something out of. So they did they bought him a new wallet!
5. God’s message is, "God is on your side!" "Since God is for us, who can be against us?" The 2nd “Fear-Not” involved a situation without a solution.
II. NO SOLUTION, BUT GOD HAD A REMEDY
18 Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Mt. 1:18-21,24.
A. JOSEPH’S PROBLEM/ TRIAL
1. Joseph knew he wasn’t the father. But everyone else assumed he WAS; that they had been tempted and failed.
2. This scandal, between two such good people, rocked the city of Nazareth. Their reputations were tainted for years to come.
3. Not only was Joseph NOT the father of the Child, he had to assume that the innocent-looking Mary, whom he loved, had been unfaithful with another man. She'd betrayed him!
4. It must have been devastating! Joseph had a huge problem, but Joseph also had a HUGE GOD!
a. About his problem, God said – "Fear Not!"
b. God is saying to you about your problem: "Fear Not!"
B. WHAT WAS JOSEPH AFRAID OF?
1. Joseph's God was BIGGER! Joseph had forgotten or never had known HOW BIG GOD IS. Probably he’d never had a vision or seen an angel. This was a faith-enlarging experience with God.
2. That happens when we face large trials. When we call on God, He gives us wisdom and divine assistance. That’s what Joseph did.
C. APPLICATION TO OUR PROBLEMS
1. DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM? God says to you, "Fear Not!"
2. 1 Pet. 4:12, "Do not be surprised when fiery trials try you as though some strange thing were happening to you."
3. You say, "No, my trial can have no good solution." GIVE GOD TIME!
4. You say, "God has forsaken me; He doesn't hear my prayers."
a. Mark 4:35-41. In this account, the disciples and Jesus were crossing the Sea of Galilee. Jesus fell asleep and a storm hit. It looked like they were going to sink. It looked like Jesus didn't care if they drowned.
b. That's like us with our problems. The winds and waves get higher and higher and it seems like we're going under.
c. But this story reminds us of three great truths:
1). Jesus doesn't send us out alone; He's with us in the boat.
2). Jesus only needed to be awakened. Once they touched Him through prayer, He began doing things. Matt. 8:25-26, in Greek says, "They roused Him… And being roused, He rebuked…." (In truth, He doesn't sleep but we must seek.)
3). Because Jesus had said, "Let us pass over," no wave or wind could sink that ship. It would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for that ship to go under.
5. I DON'T CARE HOW BIG YOUR PROBLEMS, GOD SAYS, "FEAR NOT!" You have a God bigger than your problem. God is able to turn your bad situation around and make something good.
6. ILLUS. I’m reminded of the story of Howard Johnson. He was a merchandising manager and got fired. He went to work building Holiday Inns. In time he came to own 65 of them! He later declared, "I thank God for that man firing me!"
III. BAD NEWS - BECAME GOOD NEWS!
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God....15 the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” Lk. 2:8-13, 15-17.
A. THE SETTING
1. It was a night just like any other. Crickets were chirping, the wind was blowing, grass rustling, sheep "bah”ing, etc.
2. Suddenly, "the glory of the Lord (shekinah) shown round about them." Brilliant light and dreadful holy Angels.
B. MESSAGE OF THE ANGEL – “FEAR NOT.” WHY WOULD THEY HAVE BEEN AFRAID?
1. FEAR FROM SURPRISE. In their time, no street or house lights existed. Everything was dark from sundown until sun-up. The last thing they expected – blazing light and celestial beings. HUMOR. One husband asked his wife what she wanted for Christmas. She said, “Just surprise me!” So he did. At 3:00 a.m. on Christmas Day, he leaned over in bed and shouted, “Boo!”
2. FEAR BC OF THEIR LOWLY POSITIONS.
a. Angels didn't appear to King Herod, or the Jewish priests and leaders to announce Christ.
b. But to lowly, uneducated, 3RD-shift workers who smelled of sweat, sheep, and smoke.
c. Who were they to be in the presence of God's mighty angels?
3. FEAR BECAUSE UNWORTHY & UNHOLY. The appearance of these angels seemed, to the shepherds, like it had TO BE BAD NEWS, but shockingly, the angel said...
4. "FEAR NOT! I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people… There is born to you this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!"
C. WHAT’S THE MESSAGE TO US?
1. This Christmas, God has Good News! God has a GREAT FUTURE planned for you, a great HOPE/JOY for us all. Why?
2. Because God’s a good, loving God, who’s not come to condemn you, but to save you.
3. Like the Prodigal Son's father, God wants you to come home to Him today. Will you?
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves. On the night of the boy's 13th birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test.
2. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away.
3. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods, and he was terrified. Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce (& in those days there WERE dangerous animals in the forests!)
4. After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest.
5. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow.
6. It was his father. He’d been there all night long. The boy’s fears during the night had been groundless; his father had stood guard over him all night.
7. So it is with our heavenly Father; all our fears are groundless. Our God watches over us and He will let no eternal hurt come to his children.
B. THE CALL
1. Do you have any fears? Is your mind clouded with concerns?
2. God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love!" (Jer. 31:3). Paul said, "God works all things together for good to them that love the Lord" Rom. 8:28. “Cast[ing] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” 1 Pet. 5:7.
3. Since you serve a good God who has all power and is working all things for your good, why don't you surrender your fears to Him?
4. Let’s take them to God right now. Stand with me if you want to be included in this prayer.
5. PRAYER
