CHRISTMAS 2024: FEAR NOT
LUKE 2:8-21
# fearnot
READ LUKE 2:8-21 (ESV) [person from the congregation reads]
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with Whom He is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the Name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.”
VIDEO… Christmas According to Kids, youtube.com/watch?v=suowe2czxcA, [3:15]
INTRODUCTION
Christmas is that time of year where we focus on the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Why should we focus on the birth of Jesus Christ? The birth of Jesus of Nazareth holds immense significance for people who are Christians:
First, it is a miraculous fulfillment of prophecy. The birth of Jesus is seen as a unique fulfillment of various Old Testament prophecies, particularly those regarding the coming of the Messiah. Prophecies such as those in Isaiah 7:14 and Micah 5:2 viewed by Christians and even some historians as being realized in Jesus' birth. This makes His arrival via the Virgin Mary a key event in God's plan for salvation for human beings.
Second, with the birth of Jesus, we have the unique and only incarnation of God. For believers in Jesus, the birth of Jesus marks the moment when God became human. We believe that Jesus is both 100% God and 100% human. The birth of Jesus signifies God's presence on Earth in a new and tangible way. The incarnation is central to our understanding of the nature of Christ and His role in salvation. God entered the world in the form of a vulnerable infant. Amazing and mysterious.
Third, the birth of Jesus feels like the beginning of the redemptive mission of God. Jesus' birth marks the start of His mission to bring salvation to humanity; even though Jesus was always the plan. Jesus was born to teach about love, forgiveness, and the Kingdom of God, and ultimately to die for the sins of the world. His birth sets the stage for His later teaching ministry, unfair crucifixion, and amazing resurrection.
Fourth, the birth of Jesus, as we have already seen in Luke 2, has with it a message of hope and peace. The angels' announcement to the shepherds in Luke 2 declares "good news of great joy" and proclaims "earth peace among those with Whom He is pleased." Jesus is the light in the darkness. Jesus is hope to people suffering from oppression, sin, and despair. His birth begins all of that.
Fifth, and this sounds like some kind of political statement, but it is not, it is a theological one. The birth of Jesus reminds us about the marginalized. The circumstances surrounding Jesus' birth are significant in their portrayal of God's concern for the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized. Born in humble surroundings, not in a palace but in a manger, Jesus' birth reflects God's care for the poor, the outcasts, and the downtrodden. The first visitors to see the newborn Jesus were shepherds, who were among the lower classes in society. There is much signifying in the Old Testament and the New Testament that Jesus came for all people, regardless of their social status or background.
So, for all these reasons and more, it is important for those who believe in Jesus Christ, to focus on His birth. His birth means so much
TRANSITION
In the passage that we read this morning from Luke 2, the first words that the angel said in verse 10 was “Fear not.” I noticed those words and I also noticed a truth that is connected with those words.
ANGELS OFTEN SAY “FEAR NOT” OR “DO NOT BE AFRAID”
One of the truths I noticed from Luke 2 that actually is found all through the Scriptures is that angels often say “fear not” or “do not be afraid.” Perhaps in the angelic handbook on page 1, it says that when they appear to a human being, the human being will be scared beyond belief and the angel is to say “Do not be afraid.” Tell them this because angels are scary and also at times the news that angels bring is not all that nice. Whatever the reason, angels often reference fear as soon as they begin giving their message.
* Genesis 21, the angel who talks to Hagar said “fear not”
* Daniel 12, the angel that talks to Daniel twice says “fear not”
* Luke 1, the angel appears to Zechariah and says “do not be afraid”
* Luke 1, the angel appears to Mary and says, “do not be afraid”
* Matthew 1, the angel appears to Joseph in a dream and says, “do not be afraid”
* Matthew 28, the angels tell the women at the empty tomb “do not be afraid”
* Acts 24, the angel in Paul’s dream tells him “do not be afraid”
RE-READ LUKE 2:9-12 (ESV)
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
In the first part of the passage, in verses 9-12, we focus on some shepherds who are out in their fields taking care of their sheep. I can imagine that a shepherd was and probably is still a thankless job. It is probably not gla-a-a-a-mourous. I did however do a google search and as of November 13, 2023 the salary for a shepherd in the US is $89,074, but that was the highest I saw. The average with a bachelor’s degree in animal science is around $48,000 a year with the possibilities for bonuses of around $10,000. That has nothing to do with the sermon; I just thought it was interesting.
Anyway, the shepherds were out in the fields watching their flocks and an angel appears to them. An angel is a spiritual messenger sent from God. Angels tend to appear and disappear as God wants, shine with the glory of heaven, and tend appear wearing white. These messengers come from YHWH God and give His messages as instructed.
I can imagine that the night was pitch dark as the appearance of the angel literally brought the light of heaven onto the field. This was probably disorienting. This is not a normal occurrence and so fear is the normal human response. Disorientation brings fear. When we experience something new, we are often afraid. When we experience the unknown, fear happens. All of that was happening and so the angel of God reassures the shepherds with the first words spoken.
SUMMARY
The first truth I noticed: angels often say “do not be afraid.” The truth is that the angel of God comes and reassures the shepherds that the message they are bringing is not one that should invoke fear or judgment, but one that is centered on good news, great joy, is for all people, and shows the glory of God.
TRANSITION
This truth got be wondering and meditating and praying. Why did the angel have to assure the shepherds not to be afraid? Why did the angels in Genesis, Daniel, Luke, Matthew, and Acts all mention for the people not to be afraid? This led me to another truth about God and one that brought me to His grace.
GOD IS INFINITE AND WE ARE FINITE
I was thinking about the teeny tiny shepherds and the glory of the Lord filling the night sky and I was reminded of the truth that: God is infinite and we are finite. It is impossible for the finite to truly comprehend the Infinite. God is Unlimitedly Eternal and we are limitedly mortal. When God lets just a microscopic amount of His glory enter our reality, He lights up the whole sky. The angels were just reflecting His glory and lit up the night sky in a miraculous manner.
This truth is taught and illustrated by a conversation YHWH God has with Moses in Exodus 33 in the Old Testament. Moses had the privilege of speaking to God on Mount Sinai.
READ EXODUS 33:17-23 (ESV)
“And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me Your Glory.” 19 And He said, “I will make all My Goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My Name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” He said, “you cannot see My Face, for man shall not see Me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by Me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while My Glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My Hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away My Hand, and you shall see My Back, but My Face shall not be seen.”
The next chapter in Exodus (34:29-35) tells us that when Moses is again among the Israelites after this passage that “his face shone because he had been talking with God” and the people were “afraid to come near him.” Moses had been so near to God that his skin glowed. He literally had to cover himself head to toe because it freaked the Israelites out (Exodus 34:33, 35). Encountering the Infinite Limitless Eternal God of the Universe is no small thing. It is impossible for sinful broken humans to survive the holy glory of God. We are told: “no one can see God and live.” This means it is impossible for us in our present state to comprehend God in His full glory, and if we saw His Glory, we would die.
TRANSITION
This truth got be wondering and meditating and praying. The angels had to assure the shepherds that the glory of God reflected in them would not make them piles of goo next to the sheep poo. The message of God explained was not one of fear, but one of salvation. This led me to God’s grace.
GOD PULLS BACK AND GOD LEANS IN… BOTH ARE GRACE
You see, for us to at all understand God or comprehend Him at all or to participate in what God is doing… at all… God has to at the same time pull back and lean in. Both of those actions are full of His grace. Both of those actions are seen in Luke 2 and also are seen in the birth of Jesus.
God desires to fix what sin broke in the Garden of Eden and to do that He has to pull back. God pulls back because we cannot comprehend His fullness. God pulls back because we could not handle all of His power, goodness, holiness, justice, and wrath if we were to behold it in His fullness.
READ PHILIPPIANS 2:5-8 (ESV)
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Jesus “emptied” Himself in order to be born. What does that mean? We don’t know! We have no idea what it means for God to sacrifice much of His nature to become one of us. Jesus was made of the same stuff as God and yet He had to “pull back” because our existence could not handle all of God. It is grace and mercy to us that He would even consider doing that. It shows the depth of His love for us that God would pull back so that we could see His plan for us.
* God pulled back His Glory so the shepherds would live to share the message. Grace.
* God pulled back Himself so that Jesus would exist as a human being. Grace.
God desires to fix what sin broke in the Garden of Eden and to do that He has to lean in. God leans in because we need Him to be present in our lives. God bends down to be intimately involved in the human condition. We need God to bend down to us because life is pain, sorrow, flawed, and temporary.
READ PSALM 116:1-2 (ESV)
“I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because He inclined His Ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.”
The word Psalm 116:2 which we translate in English as “incline” is the Hebrew word which means “to stretch out,” “to bend down.” God bends down to hear us. YHWH God is not far away or uninterested or unaware of anything that goes on in our lives. Actually, He bends near and hears our prayers and follows our lives closely. The fact that God does this, leans into hear us and is part of our lives, in the rest of Psalm 116 is described as “gracious” (verse 5), “merciful” (verse 5), how He “preserves” (verse 6), how He deals “bountifully” with us (verse 7), and part of saving us (verse 6, 8).
* God leans in to us to share the good news with the shepherds. Grace.
* God leans in to us so that Jesus would exist as a human being. Grace.
SUMMARY AND APPLICATION
Christmas is that time of year where we focus on the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. We should focus on the birth of Jesus because of the fulfillment of prophecy, the confession that He is unique and the only incarnation of God, the appreciation of the beginning of the redemptive mission of God, the message of hope and peace, and that Jesus came for all people, regardless of their social status or background. Yes! All of that is completely true!
It is also completely true that you and I need never be afraid of YHWH God or in this life because we have our God Who pulls back and empties Himself that He might be intimately close to us and we have our God Who leans close and is ever present with us. Grace upon grace. Christmas shares that truth! Jesus is the example of that truth! Christmas is a celebration of the grace and mercy of God that is tangible for us in the Person of Jesus Christ.
INVITATION
RE-READ LUKE 2:11 (ESV)
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.
Do you know Jesus? I could be that Baby Jesus is your favorite Jesus, but Christ the Lord Who willingly died on the cross for my sins is my favorite Jesus. I want to invite you to permanently accept the grace of God in your life by accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. Won’t you come forward today?
PRAYER
