Luke 1:26-38 FEAR NOT
Intro: Fear has been a part of the human existence since the fall of man
in Genesis 3:8-10. Everyone, regardless of how brave they seem, is afraid of something. I,
personally, am afraid of heights. Not so much afraid of being of there, because the views
are incredible. Not afraid of the fall, because free fall is an exhilarating experience.
If I had to define my fear, I would have to say that my fear of heights is really a fear
of the sudden stop that awaits me at the bottom of my fall. I say again, everyone is
afraid of something. (Snakes, Spiders, Disease, Financial Setbacks, Old Age, Gray Hair,
Rejection, Disappointment, Exposure, Being Forgotten, Etc.) Even in the Bible, we can see
where men were stalked by their fears:
1. Abraham lied about Sarah out of fear - Gen. 12:11-13
2. Jacob displayed fear of Esau - Gen. 32:6-8
3. Moses feared Pharaoh - Ex. 2:14
4. Moses feared Rejection - Ex. 4:1
5. The Disciples feared the storm - Matt. 8:24-26
Nothing has changed! People are still caught in the grip of their fears,
and this is even true during the Christmas Season. A time that should be joyous, happy and
totally Christ-centered. We fear not having enough money, of not meeting everyone's
expectations, we worry over meals, over who will be there and who will not. We just seem
to fear everything.
Ill. The great Scottish preacher John McNeill told
that during his childhood he had to walk a long distance home every evening, and his route
led through a forest with a large ravine. Reports said that wild animals and gangs of
robbers were often seen in that area. Great fear would seize his heart as he made his way
past the spooky- looking trees. He recalled, "One night it was especially dark, but I
was aware that something or someone was moving slowing and quietly toward me. I was sure
it was a robber. When a voice called out, its eerie tone struck my heart with fear. I
thought I was finished. Then came a second call. This time I could hear the voice saying,
'John, is that you?' It was my father. He had known of my fear and had come out to meet
me.")
It was a word from John Mcneill's father that brought peace
to his fearful heart that night. What we fearful humans need is a word from our Father. A
word from Him who is able to expel our fears and eliminate our worries. We have such a
word before us this morning.
Three times God sent angelic messengers to the earth with
messages connected to the birth of His Son, the Lord Jesus. Each time, they brought big
news, news which troubled the hearts of their hearers. However, they also came with a
message of peace. Three times angels appeared. Three times they spoke the words,
"Fear not." Let's take some time this morning to examine the messages of these
angels and learn for ourselves what it means to "Fear Not."
I. Luke 1:26-38 DO NOT FEAR GOD'S PROVIDENCE
The "Fear Not" of human impossibility!
(Providence = The care, guardianship, and control exercised by a deity;
divine direction. In other words, it is the overruling watch care and involvement of God
in the lives of His people.)
A. V. 26-27 The Calmness Of Mary's Life - When
Gabriel appears to Mary, she is probably about 14 or 15 years old. She has probably grown
up dreaming the same romantic dreams that girls have dreamed since the dawning of time.
Dreams of marriage, home and family. She is even engaged to a man named Joseph and about
to be married. According to the text, she has maintained her sexual purity, as well as her
spiritual purity. She is living close to the Lord and is living a good life before the
Lord. Mary apparently has it all sewed up. A bright future is awaiting her, she has
everything for which to live.
(Ill. I really like it when my life goes just as I have planned. There
are times when we sail the calm seas of life, but those days often seem fleeting and few
when compared to the days when trials stalk us like savage beasts.)
B. V. 28-37 The Challenge To Mary's Life - When
Gabriel makes His announcement to Mary, her life is immediately turned upside down. Mary
is called upon to bear shame, reproach and humiliation for the glory of God. Her's is to
be the greatest honor ever afforded to woman, but at the same time it carried with it a
tremendous social stigma. (Very much unlike our day!)
(Ill. When our lives do not go as we have planned it is easy to fear
that which is unknown. Often, God will allow things to happen in your life and life and
mine that are hard to bear and hard to understand, yet the Lord sends them our way so that
we might grow in Him and come to know Him in a better way. When these times arise, it is
easy to question the Lord and His judgment. It is always easy to question but it is far
nobler to comply with the Lord.)
(You see, one inescapable part of being a Christian is the area of cross
bearing, Matt. 16:24. No one said such a life was easy, but the end results are worth the
trials of this life!)
(Ill. The secret to surviving the dreadful times is to learn to trust
completely in the Lord - Although Nancy earned a meager living by hard
work, she was a radiant, triumphant believer. One day a wealthy lady with a very gloomy
outlook on life said to her, "You're happy now, but what about later? Or suppose your
employer moves and you have no job? Or suppose..." Nancy broke in, "Stop! I
never suppose! The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want," Then she added, "And
it's all those 'supposes' that are making you so miserable. Why don't you give them up and
trust the Lord completely?" That just about sums us up as well, doesn't it?)
C. V. 38 The Consecration Of Mary's Life
- Despite the shame that was sure to come her way, despite the humiliation she would bear,
Mary was willing to submit her life to the will of the Lord. In doing so, she sets and
example of obedience and surrender that every child of God needs to take to heart.
(Ill. You and I would do well to learn to submit to the
will of the Lord in every detail of life. We need never fear the providential hand of God,
for He will never do us wrong! Regardless of what may come our way in life, we can rest
assured that God is going to use it to get glory to Himself and to help us learn more
about Him.)
(Ill. Joseph - He was loved by his father and occupied a
special place of privilege in his family. Yet, God allowed Joseph to be sold by his
brothers into slavery and to spend the next 13 year in either servitude or prison.
However, in the end, God proved that His plan was the right plan and Joseph came out on
tope of the heap - Gen. 50:20.)
I. Do Not Fear God's Providence
II. Matthew 1:18-25 DO NOT FEAR GOD'S PLAN
The "Fear Not" of
immediate obedience!
A. V. 18-19 The Pain Of Joseph's Life - Joseph,
like Mary, was on the way to having all that a Jewish man could have asked for in that
day. He was about to be married to a pure, righteous Jewish girl. Everything was falling
into place. Then came the news that shattered his life and brought all his dreams and
hopes crashing down to the ground. Mary was pregnant, and Joseph was not the father. With
his dreams shattered, his hopes dashed, his pride lost, his life seemed over. To Joseph,
there appeared to be only 2 possible solutions
1. He could divorce Mary quietly and have her sent away until the baby
was born.
2. He could divorce her publically, and thereby subject her to the
ridicule and humiliation of the public. This option could also have resulted in her death
- Deut. 24.
Joseph's life was literally turned upside down by the news of Mary's
pregnancy.
(Ill. We have all faced a similar situation. You thought you had
everything lined up and planned out pretty well, and then the Lord went a did something
that was against the rules and messed everything up, or so you thought. However, this
simply what life is like under the curse of sin - Job 14:1; Eccl. 2:23.)
(Ill. This was the problem Job faced. He suffered the loss of everything
he had worked for and everything he loved. His was a life of trial and trouble. These
times will come to all of us and must be handled, or they will handle us.)
B. V. 20-23 The Privilege Of Joseph's Life - As
Joseph pondered what to do about his situation, God sent an angel to tell Joseph that he
was about to gain far more than he stood to lose. Joseph finds out that he is the man who
has been chosen to raise the Messiah. He had been handpicked by God to provide Jesus with
His physical and spiritual training. His is a privilege that is unique to all of humanity.
(Ill. Sometimes, the Lord's assignments are costly, but they always pay
back far more than they require from us. In fact, just the privilege of being chosen by
God to do anything is a privilege beyond description! Thank God, He chooses the common man
to carry out the dictates and plans of the Lord.)
C. V. 24-25 The Priorities Of Joseph's Life -
Joseph willingly took the assignment offered to him by God. In spite of the ridicule and
the humiliation, he was willing to make the Lord's will a priority in his life. This is an
example that we all need to emulate. It was never a question of "if" with
Joseph. He was willing to obey the clear command of God without question!
(Ill. Do not fear God's purposes. They may look bad in the beginning,
but in the end, He will be glorified and you will be blessed - Rom. 8:28; Rom. 5:3-5; 2
Cor. 4:15-17)
(Ill. Regardless of what comes your way in life, determine in your heart
that you will seek the Lord's will and will do that which He has called upon you to do
above all other things, and He will be glorified!)
I. Do Not Fear God"s Providence
II. Do Not Fear God's Plan
III. Luke 2:8-20 DO NOT FEAR GOD'S PRESENTATION
The "Fear Not" of Salvation!
A. The Burden Of These Shepherds - These men
were the social outcasts of the day. They were usually vulgar, dirty, smelly and unkept.
They were also religious outcasts. By virtue of their very jobs, they were defiled and
considered unfit to participate in the ceremonies of the Temple. They were separated from
both God and man. If any men every needed hope, these men did! Hope is what they got!)
(Ill. This is the natural state of man. Separated from God by virtue of
our sins and doomed to an eternity apart from Him. Rom. 3:23; Isa. 59:2)
B. V. 9-14 The Blessedness Of These Shepherd's Lives
- These outcast keepers of the lambs, are the first to receive the news that the Lamb of
God has come into the world. What a privilege has been afforded to these humble shepherds.
(Ill. Why were these shepherds afraid? Sinners have always displayed
fear when they were confronted with the reality of God, because coming face to face with
the Almighty has a way of making one have to face his own sin. And that is a true cause
for fear.)
(Ill. Sinners ought to fear the Lord, after all, it is the beginning of
all wisdom, Pro. 9:10. But. We must remember that the Lord's presentations are also His
invitations for us to come unto Him. When He shows Himself to man, God is desiring that
men respond in faith and come to Him. Please note that the angels gave the shepherds
directions as to how to find the baby Jesus. What a blessing for these lowly men to be
called to come before the King of glory. Yet, that is the same privilege enjoyed by
everyone here today - Rev. 22:17; John 3:16. Ill. There is only one reason why men remain
in their sins and wind up in Hell. It is summed up in one statement from the lips of the
Lord - John 8:24.)
(Ill. Have you accepted His invitation?)
C. V. 15-20 The Brilliance Of These Shepherd's Lives
- After these shepherds met the baby Jesus, they were forever changed. They left the
manger spreading the good news that Messiah had come. All those who heard the shepherds
marveled at their story. (It must have been a strange thing to hear shepherds speak of
religious matters).
(Ill. When the shepherds heard the message of the angel, they reacted
with fear, but that fear eventually lead to their salvation. So it is with us. Some may
fear to hear the message of the Gospel and to come to the Lord for salvation. You may
think that God will not forgive you of your sins, or that you have been too evil for Him
to save. The truth is, if He is calling you to come to Him, there is no way that He would
ever turn you away - John 6:37. Then, if you come to Him, you will find that He has the
power to forever change your life and make you what you never thought you could be - 2
Cor. 5:17. He can take a life of wickedness and turn it around for His glory, if you will
allow Him the opportunity to do so.)
Conc: Three times the angels came and three times there was a reaction
based in fear. However, when the fear had been dealt with and the Lord's message was
allowed to come through, the message was seen for what it really was, a promise of grace.
So it is this Christmas season. There may be those things around you that you fear, but if
you can learn the lesson that Mary, Joseph and the shepherds learned, and that is to trust
the Lord whatever the cost, then you will find that He can turn fear to peace this season
for you.
(Ill. An old man was asked what had robbed him of joy the most in his
lifetime. He replied, "Things that never happened!" All of us can recall
needless burdens that we have put on our own shoulders by anticipating the worst.
Certainly the Lord does not lay such burdens on us.
Someone has cited these three keys to happiness:
1. Fret Not - He loves you - (John 13:1).
2. Faint Not - He holds you - (Psalm 139:10).
3. Fear Not - He keeps you - (Psalm 121:5).
W. B. Davidson wrote, "When just a small child, I accompanied my
father on a short trip to see Grandmother, who lived 3 miles from our home. We remained
longer that we should have, and night overtook us. Between our home and Grandmother's
house was a swamp. That night the frogs' croaking and the crickets' chirping, together
with the darkness and the shadows of the trees, frightened me. I inquired of my father if
there was any danger of something catching us, but he assured me there was nothing to
dread. And so, taking me by the hand, he said, 'I will not allow anything to harm you.'
Immediately my fears passed away and I was ready to face the world, for my father had me
by the hand." )
Is there fear in your heart today? Bring it to Jesus! Is there sadness?
Bring it to Jesus! Is there fear over sin and hell? Bring it to Jesus! Is there
disappointment and disillusionment over the trials of life? Bring it to Jesus! Are there
burdens too heavy to bear? Bring it to Jesus! Is there brokenness and despair? Bring it to
Jesus! Is there failure and defeat? Bring it to Jesus! Whatever it is that is causing you
to fear, bring it to Jesus!
