Family Life Church

Sunday, Dec. 22, 1996

Sermon by Jon Skramstad

One particularly dark and stormy Christmas Eve, a mother was tucking her small son into bed. She was about to turn the light off when he asked in a trembling voice, "Mommy, will you stay with me all night?" Smiling, the mother gave him a warm, reassuring hug and said tenderly, "I can't dear. I have to sleep in Daddy's room." A long silence followed. At last it was broken by a shaky voice saying, "That big sissy!"

Many of us are like that boy in the sense of there are things that frighten us...

Hook: Types of "phobias": Claustrophobia - fear of closed places; Acrophobia - fear of heights; Arachnophobia - fear of spiders; Hydrophobia - fear of water; Peladophobia: fear of baldness; Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple; Calyprophobia: fear of obscure meanings; Phobophobia: fear of being afraid.

Some of my own: Fear of giving (Tithe-no-phobia); Yugophobia (fear of ice cold showers); ACLUaphobia (fear of nativity scenes); Conspiraphobia (fear that UFO's are taking over the United Nations).

But seriously, many people live their lives in fear. Some fear loneliness; some fear pain; some worry about the future; some are afraid of disease or even death. All of us, at one time or another, will be and have been tempted to be afraid.

A little boy and girl were singing their favorite Christmas carol in church the Sunday before Christmas. The boy concluded "Silent Night" with the words, "Sleep in heavenly beans." His sister corrected him, "It's not beans, it's peas." But many people will not sleep in heavenly peas or peace this Christmas season.

Yet it is because of that first Christmas 2,000 years ago, when God sent His Son Jesus to earth, that we don't have to fear anymore.

In the story of the first Christmas in the Gospel of Luke, we hear the phrase "Fear not" repeated a number of times. Let's look at some reasons why Christmas means we don't have to fear anymore.

1. God Answers Prayer

Lu 1:13 But 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 [middle name: "The", last name: "Baptist".]

Zacharias was a god-fearing man who served as a priest in the temple. He and his wife Elisabeth (who was Jesus' mom Mary's cousin) were older in age. And while he is in the temple performing his priestly duties, an angel appears to Zacharias.

It's interesting that the normal response in the Bible, when a person recognizes an angel, is one of fear, as opposed to many of today's popular TV or movies versions of angels.

One of the primary responsibilities of angels is to serve God by announcing or executing judgment. For example, in 2 Samuel 24 an angel was used by God to strike down 70,000 Israelites as judgment for David's sin in taking a census. Surely Zacharias was aware of that and similar incidents.

So it is no wonder that Zacharias would have been fearful. Yet here the angel tells him to "fear not". Why not? "For thy prayer is heard." Zacharias and his wife were going to have a baby in answer to their prayer. It was a miracle for them to have a baby, so Zacharias was doubtful. In verse 18...

Luke 1:18 ... Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

As a result of his doubt, Zacharias wasn't able to speak for 9 months until his son, John the Baptist was born.

How many times do we worry and fear and doubt about things that we instead should trust God in? The remedy for this type of anxiety is to pray - because God answers prayer. The apostle Paul gave this remedy when he wrote in Phil. 4:6...

Phil. 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And it is because of the first Christmas when Christ Jesus came, that we can have peace because we can have our prayers answered. Since Jesus came to be our great high priest, we now can have access to the very throne of God. In Hebrews 4:14 we read...

Heb. 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus was born as a human baby at that first Christmas and experienced what it is like to be a man. So He can sympathize with us in our weaknesses. So vs. 16 goes on to say, because of that...

16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

If God can answer Zacharias' prayer for a miraculous birth at an old age, he certainly can answer our prayers regarding the things that concern us.

Mary C. Crowley was quoted as saying, "Every evening I turn worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway." That's the idea. Fear Not-God answers prayer - in a way beyond what we can think to ask for!

Zacharias' answer to prayer would be no ordinary baby, he would become the forerunner for the Messiah Jesus who would be born 6 months later, in an even bigger miracle, to a virgin.

2. God Grants Us Favor

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30* And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He 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:

The term in vs. 28, where the angel says Mary was "highly favoured", means literally to be "filled with grace" and it occurs only 1 other place in the New Testament. In Eph. 1:6 it tells us that all believers in Christ are also filled with grace.

So we don't need to be afraid since God favors us. As Paul said in...

Romans 8:31 ... If God is for us, who is against us?

God out of His grace, sent His Son to be miraculously born to the virgin Mary so that He could pour out His grace on us. Those who have a relationship with Jesus have His Father's favor...

Prov. 8:35 "For he who finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the LORD.

Now that God favors us, what have we to fear? God is on our side, or more importantly, He has put us on His side. And His side wins! Fear Not - God grants us favor!

We celebrate Christmas, even 2,000 years after the original event, because of the Gift that was given at the first Christmas...

3. God Has Good News

At the time Jesus was born in a stable, some shepherds were out watching their sheep:

Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

They were shaking in their sandals. They were trembling in their tunics. They saw the glory of the Lord shining around them. They saw their own dirtiness and sinfulness in contrast to God's glory and they knew they were doomed.

Like those shepherds, many people fear death. What will happen to them when they die? And it is right that they should fear. Because of our sins and rebellion against God, we all deserve a terrifying judgment. All people should fear death - that is, up until that first Christmas.

Lu 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

We need not fear death or the penalty of our sins any more. Because we have a Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.

That little baby would grow up to live 33 perfect sinless years of obedience to His Father. The only reason He could live sinlessly is that He was God. The only way He could die was to be a man. Jesus was God made man, so that He could die as the perfect substitue for us. That's what the Incarnation is all about. God has come in the flesh. In the form of a little baby. And for that reason, we don't need to be afraid anymore. Fear Not - God has Good News!

Thats what the word Gospel in the Bible means - "Good News." Vs. 17 of Luke 2 says that after going and seeing the Baby Jesus, the shepherds went and told a lot of people about this Promised Child. They were sharing the Good News.

What better news is there, that we can live forever in God's kingdom? So what do we have to do to enter that kingdom? Most of us would say that we would be afraid that God wouldn't accept us. God is perfect and we are such sinners. Maybe the Gift was for some people, but I'm afraid God wouldn't give His Son for me. I'm like the bad little boy who gets no presents for Christmas.

Listen to how Jesus Himself responds to that kind of a fear. In Luke Chapter 12, Jesus is an adult in the middle of His ministry. In vs. 32 He says to His followers...

Lu 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

4. God Delights to Save

It is God's good pleasure that people have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with Him. God wants people to be saved. He desires that none should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). The whole idea of providing a Savior was His in the first place, because of His love for humans.

Please turn with me to probably the most well-known verse in the Bible...

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

God desires anyone and everyone in the world to have eternal life. He sent His Son (on that first Christmas) to pay for the sins of those who were His enemies (Rom. 5:8-10).

Story: A dying man was fearful of his death, even though he was a born-again Christian. He expressed this fear to his doctor who was also a Christian. The doctor didn't really know what to say. Just then a whining and scratching was heard at the door. When the doctor opened it, in bounded his big dog, who was often with him when he made house calls. The dog was glad to see his master. Sensing an opportunity to comfort his troubled patient, the doctor said, "My dog has never been here in your room before, so he didn't know what it was like in here. But he knew I was in here, and that was enough. In the same way, I'm looking forward to heaven. I don't know much about it, but I know my Savior is there. And that's all I need to know."

If you know Jesus, you need not fear anything.

God didn't send His Son Jesus to give us what we deserve (judgment), but to give us eternal life. In the verse that follows John 3:16 Jesus said,

John 3:17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

God sent His Son as the very first and greatest Christmas gift ever! So that people could be saved through Him. Fear Not, God delights to save.

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. That's what Christmas is all about!

And in John 3:16 He tells us all we have to do. "Whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

It's your choice this Christmas. Do you want to receive the greatest gift, the Goodest News of all time? Jesus didn't come here as a baby just so that He could set a good example, or just so that He could heal people. His main purpose was to die on the cross as a payment for our sins.

Believe in the Savior this morning. What better time to receive the gift of Jesus Christ!

To believe involves 3 steps. Its as simple as A, B, C:

A - Admit you are a sinner. Romans 3:23 tells us we have all sinned and fall short of God's glory.

B - Believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for you.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

C - Choose to invite Jesus Christ into your life. John 1:12 says "...as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God...."

You can receive Jesus this very morning. In a moment I will lead you in a prayer to the Lord to invite Him into your life.

For those of us who know Jesus personally, here are some reminders to help us to "fear not":

Application:

1. Like Zacharias - Pray, about any of your concerns. God can answer miraculously.

2. Like Mary - Recognize God's favor, His grace toward you. Remind yourself daily of God's love and care for you as His very own. That love becomes your motivation to respond gratefully be serving Him.

3. Like the Shepherds - Tell others about the glad tidings of great joy. Share the Good News about the real Reason for the Season: Jesus Christ has come to pay for our sins.