The Fear Not's of Christmas

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

Well, today I want to talk to you about the fear nots of Christmas.

Every year, I've preached on Christmas for 30 years, and I got some messages that I can pull back out and and and but I don't do that.

Every once in a while I will.

Benji used to laugh at that when I preached that message.

But I like to go back through the stories in Matthew 1 and Matthew 2 and Luke 1 and Luke 2.

And that's a first.

I think you thought we needed to baptize some Methodists, but that's okay.

I'm joking.

I'm joking.

I'm joking.

Today I think it comes out.

I'm terrible.

All right.

Here we go.

Fear not.

How many of you have ever been afraid?

Okay, some of you didn't raise your hand.

That's pretty good if you're not afraid.

But I think everybody in their life has been afraid of something.

Can I get an amen?

In fact, fear is a part of our life.

In fact, it started all the way back in the beginning in Genesis chapter 3, and I think I have that on your outline.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3, where Adam and Eve had messed up, if you remember the story.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

They messed up, they sinned, they took of the forbidden fruit, and then they realized for the first time sin came in their life, and that they were naked and they were afraid.

And well, actually they were naked, and so God comes walking into the garden and they run and hide.

And God says unto them in Genesis chapter 3, verses 8, 9, and 10, he says unto them, Where are you?

Genesis 3:8

And they were afraid to answer because they knew they had messed up.

So we see fear began at the very beginning with Adam and Eve.

And I got to thinking about that, what am I really scared of?

And I personally am afraid of heights.

Now, I don't tell that very often.

And I really, part of my first part of my life being a fireman and all, in fact, in order to graduate from the fire academy, you had to climb a 110-foot ladder.

A ladder truck, we called it.

And we had a training house that was only 50 feet.

So the first 50 feet is no problem, the half of the ladder, because you got a building underneath you.

But the second 50 feet, you're in midair climbing, and the last 10 feet is a little ladder that has no other ladders under it supporting it.

I mean, it's one of those little 10-foot little ladders you would put up if you're a painter right there and just start painting the wall.

I'm talking about a light ladder that you can pick up like this, and you're climbing up on it with a backpack on your back, and the wind's blowing, and the thing's going like this.

And you're saying, I'm gonna die.

We'd have about 25% of the trainees couldn't do it.

In fact, most of them would stop after they got beyond the 50 feet.

But if they ever got to that 10-foot, you'd see them.

They'd start to climb up on that last 10-foot and it's going like this, and they'd just turn around and start coming down.

And I got to thinking about that.

Now I'm not so much afraid of being up there because the views are incredible.

If you've ever ridden any rides like the parachute ride at Six Flags or the big roller coasters.

And also I'm really not afraid of the fall because it's exhilarating.

If you've ever gone on a big, big uh roller coaster or the parachute, oh, oh, it's just, it really is kind of exhilarating.

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 when I hit the ground.

That's my fear.

Everyone is afraid of something.

Snakes.

Yeah, but there's good snakes, not in my book.

The only good snake is a dead snake.

Don't come at me with a snake.

Don't do it.

I'll fight a bear, I'll fight a lion, but don't come at me and a snake, I'll shoot you.

No.

Nope.

Don't come at me with a snake.

Spiders.

My daughter, who's brilliant, she's a surgical PA, tough as nails.

You hold a spider, she goes, ah.

I said, darling, it's just a little spider.

She said, Yeah, but you don't like snakes.

I don't like spiders.

Diseases.

We're afraid of that.

Financial setbacks.

Old age.

Anybody afraid of old age?

Most of the time that's the women.

I did say this.

Gray hair.

Afraid of gray hair.

Us men are afraid of no hair.

One of Susan's nieces is uh studying to be a cosmetology.

So I took my hat off and I said, What can you do for me?

She said, I can shine it.

Some people are afraid of dogs.

Sylvester, can I get an amen?

I mean, even Shawa was.

Rejection.

All of us are afraid of rejection.

Disappointment.

Exposure.

Being forgotten, especially during the Christmas seasons.

Because during this time it's one of the most happiest times and joyful times, but it's also one of the most saddest times because more people commit suicide from Thanksgiving to the end of the year than any other time of the year.

You know why?

Because the fear of loneliness and no one cares, there's no purpose in my life.

I have no direction.

I'm afraid.

And so that fear drives them to take their life.

So, even in the Bible, we can see where men were stalked by the fears that Satan brings our way.

Abraham lied about Sarah out of fear.

Genesis 12.

Jacob displayed fear of Esau.

Genesis 32.

Moses feared Pharaoh.

Exodus 2.

Moses feared rejection.

Exodus 4.

The disciples feared the storm on the sea.

Matthew 8.

Nothing has changed.

People are still caught up in the grip of their fears, and even true fear is happening during Christmas seasons.

We fear we'll have no enough money for Christmas.

We fear we don't have enough food.

We fear that people, everybody's going everywhere.

Will people be?

I mean, there's always worry.

And by the way, fear and worry kind of go hand in hand.

One of the ways you know you have fear in your life is when you're worrying.

Uh-oh.

So you didn't think you had any fear.

But if you're worrying, you're fearing.

You're afraid.

So we see that through all.

Well, the great Scottish preacher, John McNeely, 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.

And listen to this report said that wild animals and gang of robbers were often seen in that area.

Great fear would seize their hearts as they made their way past the spooky-looking trees.

He recalled one night it was especially dark when he was aware that something or someone was following him.

And he was sure it was a robber.

When a voice called out with an eerie tone, his heart just was filled with fear, and he was struck with fear, and he thought, Oh no, I'm finished.

Then came a second call.

This time he heard the voice.

John, is that you?

It was his father.

He had known of my fear, and he had come out to meet me because he knew I was so afraid of the dark and this path that I had to take.

So my dad had come to meet me.

And he said, John, it's me, your father.

John said immediately his fear was dispelled.

Immediately.

Because his father had come to see him home safely.

Well, I got news for you today.

We all need a word from our father.

Ah, but a father that fear not.

Our father which art in heaven.

Hallow be thy name.

We need a word from our father.

So today I want us to look at three words of fear not from God our Father that applied during the Christmas era.

That applies to us now.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter 1, verses 26 through 38.

Luke 1:26–38

The Bible tells us very clearly that God has given us that word in 2 Timothy 1.7, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1.7.

There comes a message.

Here we see in this message today.

Three times God sends an angelic being.

And it consists and is connected to the birth of his son, the Lord Jesus.

And each time these angels appear in the Christmas story, they bring a big announcement.

And this big announcement brings with it troublesome times.

It brings fear with this big announcement that are connected to the birth of Jesus.

And the first announcement, the first fear not, comes to Mary in Luke chapter 1, verses 26 through 38.

Luke 1:26–38

And it's the fear not, it's the fear not of human, are you ready?

Of human impossibility.

It's the fear not that nothing's impossible with God.

Luke 1.37.

Remember, after Mary has been told that she is going to have a baby.

You say, well, what's wrong with that?

I mean, women have babies every day.

You don't understand.

This baby is a special baby.

Mary had never had sex with a man.

She had never known a man.

And all of a sudden, the angel says, You're going to have a baby.

And not only are you going to have a baby, the conception's going to take place by the Holy Spirit of God.

Can you imagine?

Now you've got to realize Mary is between the ages of 14 and 17.

Or we know at least under the age of 20.

Young lady.

And we see all that's I call it number one, do not fear God's providence.

Fill it in.

The providence of God.

I want you to understand what God taught me.

I've never seen this in the Christmas story before.

The providence of God.

What does the word providence mean?

That's a good question.

What does it mean?

Let me give you the definition.

The word providence equals the care or guardianship and control exercised by a deity.

In other words, a deity given divine direction.

In other words, it is the over, I love this definition, the overruling watch care.

The overruling watch care and involvement of God in our individual lives.

The providence of God.

That's powerful.

This Christmas, what is Christmas all about?

It's about the providence of God.

And it's so really unbelievable, but yet it's hard to understand sometimes.

And let me say something to you right now.

This will help you in these fear knots.

And it'll help you in your fear.

Hey, you can't understand God.

Can I get an amen?

You and I will never understand the totality of God's ways and, hey, his judgments and his directions and his rulings.

Romans 11.33, the judgments and the knowledge and all that God has and his understanding is what?

Past finding out.

That's what it says in Romans 11.33.

So we see the providence of God.

And let me show you what I see that in Mary.

That overruling and watch care and involvement in Mary's life.

First of all, we see the call of Mary's life.

In verses 26 and 27, we see the call of Mary's life.

And what a powerful call.

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel, Gabriel's used four times, twice in Daniel, the name Gabriel, the angel Gabriel, and then twice in Luke.

And the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin, espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.

They both were in the lineage of David, both of them, Joseph and Mary.

And the virgin's name was Mary.

The virgin's name was Mary.

And then look at verse 27.

I mean verse 28.

And the angel came unto her and said, Hail thou, thou art highly favored.

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women.

Powerful truth right there.

Unbelievable truth.

The call of Mary's life.

When Gabriel appears to Mary, she again, she's in her young teens.

Oh, hey, well, go on and let's see.

Oh, this is exciting because here we see that Mary, now you got to realize, Mary at this time is engaged.

She has been betrothed to Joseph.

People got married very early in their years during the biblical times.

Now, let me tell you what an engagement meant a lot more than what it means today.

Engagements back in biblical times here meant that you, it was as a major commitment as if you were married.

They signed contracts a lot of times.

They passed dowries.

Joseph had to give Mary's parents a dowry.

I tried to execute that with my two girls.

But my two son-in-laws didn't have a dime.

So I got nothing.

But think a minute.

Let me tell what else during this betrothal period.

It meant that they, you know what they did?

You know how they stayed pure back then?

They just didn't see each other during that year.

Hello?

That's a good way not to be tempted, isn't it?

Don't look at me like that's old fashioned.

Well, maybe we ought to go back to that.

Today, when that ring goes on, the sex starts.

And that's wrong, folks.

Yeah, thank you.

I know that's not popular today.

I'm just going to, hey, the Bible says, 1 Corinthians 6.18, flee fornication.

I'm going to preach the truth whether you like it or not.

I love you, but I'm going to preach it.

They didn't see each other.

Why do you think Mary left and went and spent three months with Elizabeth, who happened to be pregnant at the time, six months pregnant with John the Baptist?

And boy, they're talking all that pregnant stuff.

Thank God they had each other to talk to.

I'm not a good bedside person with that kind of stuff.

I'm not good before the baby.

I'm good after the baby.

Amen.

In fact, I got kicked off the stool when we were having Mary.

My wife literally kicked me off the bed, I mean.

Kicked the doctor off the stool.

That's true.

She gets the pain, next thing we know, boom, boom, boom.

We both on the floor.

He said, I thought I gave her an upperdural.

I said, Yeah, I don't think it took.

So here she is.

She's, hey, engaged.

She's happy.

She's excited.

I mean, her dreams are coming true.

She's met the man of her dreams, Joseph.

Joseph's dreams are coming true.

He's met the woman of his dreams, and they're about to get married.

She's so excited, and all of a sudden, Gabriel shows up and says, Mary.

Now look at the way he introduces it.

It's exciting.

He says, He gets her, he makes her feel good before he drops the bomb.

He said in verse 28, and hell, Mary.

You know what that word hail there means?

It literally means, joy to you, Mary.

And in her mind, she's thinking, well, first of all, she's a little, hmm.

I don't think you, how would you?

I mean, we don't normally get angels to show up on our doorstep and talk talking to us.

But this one's there in her presence, and he says, Hey, joy to you, Mary.

Joy to you.

Okay, that's a good angel shows up, tells you, joy, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Man, that's good.

And then notice what else he says.

Then he goes on and he says, Wow, hell, thou art highly favored.

You know what that means?

He said, Oh, joy to you, Mary.

You have been blessed with God's grace.

Now, I don't know about you, that's sounding pretty good.

There's joy to me from God's angel.

I've been blessed by God's grace.

And that's what we're going to look at next week.

The real gift of Christmas.

We'll talk about that to Mary at the end of this chapter next week.

But now watch.

Watch.

Okay, that's good.

And then the third thing the Lord's with you.

Whoo! That's good.

And she was a godly woman.

She was a pure woman.

She had her, hey, she was.

She was pure morally and she was pure spiritually.

That's important.

That's good, preacher.

You want to be blessed by God?

You want God's presence?

You gotta be, hey, you gotta be pure morally and spiritually.

That's some good insight, folks.

Let us purify ourselves and let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh, perfecting holiness and the fear of God.

2 Corinthians 7.1.

Now, hey, notice what it says.

It said, hail thou, hey, joy to you, Mary.

Hey, God's blessed you, he's given you grace, and he's with you.

Blessed are you among women.

All that means was that she was blessed.

That doesn't mean she was co-equal with Jesus.

Hello, let's get that straight.

That's where I totally disagree with the Catholics.

Mary is not sinless.

She was a sinner just like you and me.

But that's another message.

So notice, hey, folks, would you not say, woo?

God gets up, he says, Hey, joy to you, Mary.

God, hey, has blessed you with his grace.

God is with you.

You're highly favored, and you are blessed.

Now, I don't know about you, but that was that's enough for me to have a good Christmas.

Amen.

She had it going.

Don't you really like it when your life goes just as you planned it?

Think a minute.

She had it planned.

She loves the Lord.

She's pure.

Hey, she's walking with God, and all of a sudden God's angel shows up and says, Mary, oh, joy to you, Mary.

Mary, you have God's grace.

You have his presence.

You are blessed.

Woo! Yes.

Now, there's something I had never seen in this enlightenment before.

I want you to understand.

That was a rewinding.

I want you to really understand something.

You ready?

You have God's presence.

You are blessed by God.

You have God's grace.

And listen to me, you have the joy of the Lord if you are walking with God, hey, and filled with the Spirit of God, and there is nothing that comes your way that you can't handle.

So he reiterates to Mary, she got, she has, and she's got what she needs.

She doesn't need anything else.

Is that not good?

And then notice what he says.

There are times when our lives are setting as calm as the sea, but those days are often fleeting and few.

You know what Job 57 says?

I don't like this verse.

Know what it says?

Man is born into trouble.

Oh, I like that verse.

Well, what about the next one?

Job 14, 1.

Man is a few days and full of troubles.

Few days.

That means a few days of calm and the way you have it.

Now notice she has it, and then notice what happens.

The second thing.

We see the challenge to Mary's life.

In the next verses, verses 28 through 37, when Gabriel makes his announcement to Mary, her life is immediately turned upside down.

Look at what he says.

Well, this is it.

First of all, when she saw him, she was troubled at his sayings.

The word trouble there.

Powerful word.

Very powerful word.

It's to rasaso.

It's diatoraso.

Dia teraso.

And it means greatly troubled, greatly distressed, greatly, hey, here's another synonym I love.

Greatly alarmed.

You say, well, no, wait a minute.

She's got the joy, she's got the grace, she's got his presence, she's been blessed, and now all of a sudden she says, Oh no! And I'm sure and I believe she said this.

How can that be?

Wait a minute, time out.

I'm engaged, but we haven't had sex yet.

And now you're telling me I'm gonna have a baby?

Can you imagine?

Little common girl, loving the Lord, blessed by the Lord, filled with the joy of the Lord, and she's just going her way, doing her, hey, walk with God, just wanting to be happy and be married and raise a godly family.

And all of a sudden the angel shows up and says, Mary, you've been chosen.

And here's what, can you imagine?

Not only, well, you know, having a baby is one thing, but this wasn't just any baby.

This is God's son.

Now, I don't know about you, but if I'd have been married when I knew it was God's son, I would have fainted.

Some of you faint with a regular baby.

I've seen you.

God's son.

Now watch.

She was troubled.

And cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

You know what she's thinking?

The word salutation means pondering what's been said.

She's thinking, I think she might have been thinking, you sure it's me.

Or maybe she's thinking, why me?

That's probably what she, why me, Lord?

I've been there.

Have you been there when some things happen?

Things are dropped on you, your life's turned upside down, and you're not expecting it.

You go in and everything's planned out.

It's you're working, you plan, and upside down.

And the first thing I want to say is, why me, Lord?

What have I ever done?

There's a song, I think, about that.

Amen.

Now watch.

Verse 30.

And the angel said unto her, What?

If you're not married, thou hast found favor with God.

That's a that's unmerited grace.

Isn't that what we find when we get saved?

Can I get an amen?

Unmerited grace.

And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son.

And he shall call his name Jesus.

Joshua.

Yahweh?

Which means saves.

And he should be great.

He should be called the Son of the Highest.

And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.

She came from the lineage of David.

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever.

And of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be?

Seeing I know not a man.

I've never had sex with a man.

A lot of the liberal theologians try to say that she was raped by Romans, so all kind of garbage out there.

Just stick to the word.

Don't listen to garbage.

How shall this be?

Saying, I know not a man.

And the angel answered, said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the house shall overshadow thee.

Therefore, also that holy thing.

Which shall be born.

Of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And then notice, and behold, thy cousin Elizabeth.

She hath also conceived a son in her old age.

And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

So we have the fear not of human impossibility.

We see the challenge of Mary.

Often God will allow things to happen in your life and my life that are hard to bear and hard to understand.

Can I get an amen?

Things have happened in our life and in this church life this year that we cannot understand.

And it's been hard to bear.

Amen.

But why does it happen that way?

Yet the Lord sends them our way so that we might grow in him and come to know him in a better way.

Let me repeat that, so that we might know him and grow in him in a better way.

One of the greatest verses that applies here is Philippians 3.10.

Paul said that I might know him.

And the power of his resurrection and the suffering.

The fellowship of his suffering being made conformable unto his image.

You'll never know God in an intimate way until you suffer like Christ suffered.

Pain.

And we see that here.

Now watch.

It is always easy to question, but it's far nobler to comply with the Lord.

Can I get an amen?

One inscable part of being a Christian is found in Matthew 16.

I think we have it up there, Jason.

Matthew 16, 24, under B, the challenge of Mary's life.

And he says, What?

If any man come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

There's cross-bearing in the Christian life.

Now the secret to surviving the dreadful times is to learn how to trust God completely.

Can I get an amen?

There was a lady named Nancy, earned a meager living by hard work, and she was radiant, triumphant Christian, radiating Christ.

And one day a wealthy lady walked into her little store gloomy with a gloomy outlook on life and said to her, Oh, listen, Nancy, you're happy now.

But then notice what she says.

You're happy now, but what about later?

Or suppose your employer moves and you have no job.

Or suppose and about that time Nancy broke in and she said, Whoa, stop! I never suppose the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

I never suppose I trust.

Trust in the Lord with all thy heart.

Lean not on thy own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he'll direct your paths.

Proverbs 3, 5 and 6.

Powerful.

We're not sufficient in ourselves, but our sufficiency is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 3, 5.

The call of Mary's life was unbelievable.

The challenge, and then look at the third thing, the consecration of Mary's life, verse 38.

This is the greatest verse, I think, in the area of obedience ever pinned in the Bible.

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, bid unto me according to thy word.

And the angel departed from her.

Bid unto me according to your word.

Now there's a powerful illustration about faith and unbelief here.

If you go back to the first of the chapter, you'll see Zechariah.

The angel tells Zechariah that Elizabeth's going to have a baby.

Now she's too old to have children.

He's too old to have children.

And he says, hey, he says, Ah, that can't be possible.

There's no way.

In fact, if that's going to be possible, you've got to give me a sign.

Sounds like a lot of Christians I know.

I'll do that if you'll show me a sign.

Folks, that's unbelief.

If God's given you a word, you don't need a sign, you got the truth.

Can I get an amen?

So the difference in Zechariah, you said, but Mary questioned, no, Mary didn't question God.

Whether it was going to be so.

She said, How can that be so?

Big difference.

She trusted God.

She just didn't understand.

She said, okay, it's going to happen.

I don't understand.

Zechariah said, huh?

Before I believe, you got to show me.

Big difference.

Big difference.

I've been Zachariah a lot.

Anybody else like that?

Yeah.

We don't want to be like Zechariah.

We won't be like Mary.

Can I get an amen?

Be it unto me as your word says, so God.

Powerful.

Powerful, powerful, powerful.

In fact, that's I wrote this, I wrote this in my to me.

How shall this be?

It's an explanation.

She believed but didn't know how.

Zachariah wanted a sign before he would believe.

That's unbelief.

That was a good teaching to me.

Mary sets the example before us of obedience and surrender that every child of God needs to take to heart.

You and I would do well to learn to submit to the will of the Lord, even if we don't know every detail of our instructions.

Can I get an amen?

Hear my Lord, send me.

Isaiah 6.8.

Most of us, me included, say, Here my Lord, send me, but I want to go here, I want to go there, I want to go here.

Here's what it's got to be like, here's how much I got to make.

But Lord, I'm just praying to take care of my family.

Well, that's the problem.

You're trying to take care of your family instead of letting God take care of your family.

Every move I made for God, I never made a move for money.

In fact, let me tell you how I know that's to be a fact.

I always had a large cut in pay.

And we never, we never questioned it.

Not one time.

We just said, okay, God, this is where you want to go.

This is where we're going.

Now I did ask God one time, are you sure?

I still ask him about that every once in a while.

I was tough.

Are you listening?

And this is what we see.

Let me give you a good example.

Never fear the providential hand of God because he will never do anything to hurt you.

He will always do everything to grow you.

Amen?

Joseph, remember Joseph?

He was loved by his father and occupied a special privilege, place of privilege in his family.

Yet God allowed Joseph to be sold by his brothers into slavery, and he spent the next 13 years in prison.

However, in the end, God proved that his plan was the right plan, and Joseph came out on top of the heap.

Remember?

He went from the pit to the palace overnight.

He went from a pauper to a prince overnight.

He went from powerlessness to powerfulness overnight because he listened and trusted God.

You remember what he said to his brothers?

You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.

Genesis 50, 20, the Romans 8:28 verse in the Old Testament.

Romans 8:28

Brings me to the second fear not.

Go to Matthew chapter 1.

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 1.

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

And we see the story of the shepherds.

Fear not, Mary.

The fear not of human impossibility.

There's nothing impossible with God.

Can I get an amen?

Say that with me.

There's nothing impossible with God.

Nothing.

He can make anything happen if it's his will for it to happen, it will.

By the way, sometimes his will's not our will.

But Pastor Danny, God laid that will on my heart, and if he laid it there, it's got to be.

Well, just make sure it's God's will.

Well, how do you know it's God's will instead of your will?

It always aligns up with the word of God every time.

Every time.

Let me help you.

Here's one we struggle with.

I really need to, in the area of healing, we pray that it's God's will for everybody to be healed.

Let me tell you something.

It's not, I I believe that.

Let me make sure I say this correctly too.

It is God's will for everyone to be healed.

But it may be God's will for perfect healing.

Not physical healing.

Big difference.

You're listening to me now, I'm gonna help you.

It helps me.

It is God's will for everyone to be healed.

But sometimes it's God's will for perfect healing, not physical healing.

What's the difference?

Should be the question.

The difference is perfect healing is to be after from the body is to be present with the Lord.

No more tears up there.

No more sin up there.

No more pain up there.

No more cancer up there.

It's perfect healing.

There's a lot of people that were physically healed by Jesus, but they still, hey, had to have perfect healing because they all died again.

Lazarus.

A good example.

That was perfect healing.

He healed them physically, but ultimately he healed them perfectly.

He took them to be home with God.

That's good, preacher.

And that's the only way you can endure when you lose a loved one.

That you know that they're born-again Christians.

You have the peace to know that God perfectly healed them.

And they're there waiting.

And we're gonna see them again.

Oh, you're gonna see step mother again.

We're gonna see David again.

Georgia, you're gonna see your husband again.

I'm gonna see my wife that died in my arms again.

I'm gonna see my little boy.

Susan, I have a little boy in heaven.

We're gonna get to see him.

Doesn't that make perfect healing exciting?

Doesn't that make the rapture exciting?

Behold, come quickly today, Lord.

Your father.

Ashley.

I can see him now.

Need to sing more hymns.

I love you.

Notice verses 18 through 25 the fear of God's plan.

The fear not of immediate obedience.

This is the story of the shepherds.

They're out there in the field watching over their sheep.

And now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this verse.

Let me make sure I'm in the right one, yeah.

Matthew 1, 18 through 25, verse 18.

Jesus' divine birth.

Unusual events take place here.

And then he and it goes on.

It says, now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when as his mother Mary was a spouse to Joseph, they were engaged.

Almost, like I said, engagement then was more committed.

It was as stronger, more stronger than even marriage.

Before they came together, she was found with child of this Holy Ghost.

I said the shepherds, I'm sorry.

Joseph.

The third one's the shepherds, the fear not.

Immediate obedience.

Now let me give you the picture here.

Joseph has found Mary.

He's engaged to Mary.

He's betrothed to Mary.

He's excited about marrying Mary.

And then he's got his life completely planned out.

He's got a job, he's going to marry Mary.

Hey, the one day we'll have children, they'll raise a godly family, and they'll live happily ever after.

Are you ready?

And then all of a sudden, his world is turned upside down.

Bam! You know what he finds out?

He looks up and he sees that Mary's pregnant.

And how would you feel if you were Joseph men and Mary tells you, you're not gonna believe this, honey?

I'm pregnant.

And you don't, hey, it's not what you think.

Oh yeah.

Yeah, it's hey, hey, Joseph, I've not had sex with a man.

I promise, honey, I've done no.

I had a dream and an angel came to me and told me that I was gonna have the Son of God.

His name's gonna be Jesus, and the Holy Spirit came upon me and impregnated me.

Now, if you're Joseph and I'm Joseph, I faint.

What a story.

I guarantee you you've never heard that one before.

The pain.

Look at the pain and the puzzle of Joseph in verses 18 and 19.

Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately.

What a man of character.

Mary was pregnant and Joseph was not the father.

Hey, with his dreams shattered, his hopes dashed, his pride lost, hey, and life seemed over.

Hey, there appeared to him only two possibilities before the angel came to him.

Here it was.

One, he could divorce Mary quietly and have her son away until the baby was born.

Or he could divorce her publicly and thereby subject her to the ridicule and humiliation of the public.

This option could also result in her death, according to Deuteronomy 24, because if they found a woman that had been, hey, pregnant during the betrothal period, the law said she could be, and it wasn't her husband, which it shouldn't be anyway, but the law, because they hadn't married yet, the law says she could be stoned.

I mean, that that might stop some uh illicit sex.

They didn't play, folks.

So here he is.

All of a sudden, his world's been turned upside down.

Mary's world's been turned upside down.

They both, can you imagine the humiliation, the talking, the gossiping?

Now, I guarantee you the people of Nazareth did not believe the Holy Spirit had come upon Mary.

What they believed was either she had had sex with somebody else or that Joseph and Mary were fooling around.

Isn't that what today though it doesn't matter?

I mean, we just live together, have fun.

Oh, uh oh, we're we're having a baby.

Are you married?

Oh, you gotta get married to have a baby.

You're supposed to.

See?

See how far we've come, folks?

It's a sad day in America.

And listen, when somebody gets pregnant, we want to help them.

We hey, two wrongs don't make a right.

And stoning one doesn't make it right either.

Amen.

And we may not stone actually today with rocks, but we can stone and cut people to death with our tongues.

You know our motto here.

We're not interested in your path, we're interested in your future, and God has a fantastic future for you.

But what I am also, I am I am committed by God, called by God to preach the truth to our young people.

And young people, you do not need to have sex before you get married.

Can I get an amen?

It creates nothing but problems.

And you know it.

Some of y'all say you did.

Amen.

I know that's tough preaching.

I know preachers don't preach that anymore.

I know.

But I gotta preach the truth, folks.

I love you.

I want you to have the best life, young people.

Listen to me.

I want you to have the most dynamic.

Listen to me.

There is a storybook ending if it's done the storybook way.

And the storybook way is the B-I-B-L-E.

That's the book for me.

Poor old Job.

Job faced it.

He suffered the loss of everything he had worked for and everything he loved.

This was a life of trial and trouble.

These times will come to all of us, and we must, hey, hey, we must learn how to handle them or they will handle us.

By the way, in the end of Job's life, he was blessed doubly.

He was blessed doubly.

He didn't compromise.

Notice the second thing, the privilege of Joseph's life.

Verses 20 through 23.

But while he thought on these things, can you imagine?

You think he stayed up a few nights thinking about this?

But just in the midst, thank God for a godly man.

Thank God when you're in trouble, if you keep seeking God for an answer, he will give you an answer.

The angel shows up.

Now we don't know if it's Gabriel, didn't call him Gabriel this time.

The angel of the Lord appeared unto him, I think it probably was, in a dream, saying, Joseph, the son of David, there it is, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Wow.

And then notice, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled prophecy, Isaiah 7.14, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying in Isaiah, his birth was a fulfillment of prophecy.

Micah chapter 5, verse 2.

Micah 5:2

Now watch.

Watch Joseph.

God sent his angel to tell Joseph that he was about to gain far more than what he was about to lose.

And I think.

Never seen it before in this light.

He's worried about his wife's pregnant.

He's struggling with, can I believe what she said?

I meant uh uh the Holy Ghost impregnating my fiance?

Oh, has he been unfaithful to me?

Has he been with another man?

What Lord, I'm just a just man.

Holy, I'm trying to live.

And and Mary's, I thought was just Lord, I need help.

I need peace.

I'm confused, Lord.

Help me, help me, Lord.

Give me direction, give me peace, give me what do I need to do?

And all of a sudden the angel appears.

I says, fear not.

And then the angel tells Joseph the same story that he had told Mary.

Immediate obedience.

When God spoke, he obeyed.

Even though he didn't understand.

That's a powerful principle there, folks.

He obeyed when he didn't understand.

He couldn't figure it out.

It was gonna be costly.

He was gonna have to, hey, endure the gossip, the ridicule.

Can you imagine you saying, hey, to your critics, you know what?

My wife, conceived by the Holy Spirit of God, can you imagine?

They're gonna laugh you out of the room.

What are you smoking?

All the shame, ridiculous, all the embarrassment.

You know what that is?

You know what embarrassment is?

It's pride.

We all have it.

Now watch.

He endured all that, but now you're ready.

Here's where I'm about to lose it.

But hey, it cost him a lot.

Cost him his reputation.

Probably cost him his job.

Who knows it cost him?

They left, and God had that planned so they wouldn't hear it every day.

But but can you imagine it cost him almost everything he thought he had planned and worked for?

But let me tell you what, hey, you remember what I said?

It cost him, but what he gave was far greater than what it cost him.

Now he gets the privilege of raising the Son of God.

Can you believe that?

You're not gonna have a little Joseph.

Woo! You're gonna have a little Jesus.

The Son of God.

I'm in trust in Him.

Joseph, to your care.

And I thought about when Eric was born.

I thought about when Mary was born.

I thought about when Stephanie was born.

That God entrusted Eric and Mary and Stephanie to me for their spiritual and moral.

Hey, and let me tell you how we raise our kids.

Luke, oh, Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Here's how we raise our kids.

This is how he raised Jesus.

You don't see how Jesus was raised?

Can I get an amen?

Let me show you how he was raised.

Luke 2, the last verse of Luke 2, verse 52.

Luke 2:52

Powerful, powerful, powerful.

Here it is.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and statue and in favor with God and man.

All right, watch.

Jesus increased in wisdom, that's his intellect.

Stature, that's his physical development, and in favor with God, that's his spiritual development, and man, that's his social environment development.

That's the way Jesus was raised, and that is the example that you and I ought to raise our children.

And God, Susan, I did our best to try to do that.

Is that not good?

Which brings me to the priorities of Joseph's life.

Verse 24 and 25.

And Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him and took into him his wife.

And he knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son and called his name Jesus.

He never touched her till after Jesus was born.

Regardless of what comes our way in life, we need to determine in our life, in our heart, that we will seek the Lord's will and do that which he has called upon us to do, regardless of our thoughts or the circumstances.

And he'll be glorified.

Now let me finish.

Got three minutes.

Maybe take five.

The third, fear not.

God's providence, fear not.

Fear not of the impossibility, Mary.

God's plan, Joseph, fear not of immediate obedience.

In other words, do, trust me, do what I say.

And the last thing, he came to the shepherds in Luke 2, 8 through 20, and he said, Fear not.

The fear not of salvation.

The shepherds were lost.

The shepherds were the religious outcast.

They were dirty, they were smelly.

They couldn't go to the temple because they never went to the temple.

They never cleaned themselves.

They were the outcasts.

They were separated from both God and man.

If any men ever needed hope, these men needed hope.

Isn't that the natural state of all of us before we got saved?

Weren't we all separated from God?

Oh, yes, we were.

Isaiah 59, 2, Jason, put it up there.

Under the burden of these shepherds.

Letter A, the burden of the shepherds.

They were separated from God and man.

Your iniquities have separated you from your God and your sins.

And hey, and have hid his face from you so that he will not hear.

Oh my goodness.

Do you see what that word says?

If you have sin in your life, God will not hear you when you pray.

Hello.

Psalm 66, 18, if I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me.

Wow.

They were separated from God and man.

It brings me to the letter B, the blessedness of these shepherds.

Verses 9 through 14.

We see that the outcast keepers of lambs are the first to receive the news that the Lamb of God has come to take away the sins of the world.

John 1.29.

Why were these shepherds afraid?

Why?

Listen, here's why.

Have you ever had a, hey, when you were ready to be saved and there was a confrontation with the power of the Holy Spirit and God in your life, were you not afraid?

I was afraid of getting saved.

I didn't want to get saved.

I didn't want, hey, I didn't want to do, I didn't want, you know what my fear was?

Here's another fear for me.

God's going to send me to Africa.

Where he got me saved and put me into ministry, then sent me to Africa.

Then, yes, let's go.

Amen.

Anytime you come, hey, hey, let me tell you who else was afraid when he had a confrontation with God.

Paul on the road to Damascus.

God knocked him down.

Somebody said, You believe in slaying in the spirit?

The real slaying in the spirit, I do.

You know what the real slaying in the spirit is?

When you meet God for the first time, he'll put you on your knees.

He did Paul.

And he also did the soldiers in the garden.

He said, I am.

They went.

Is that in the Bible?

Yeah.

I told a guy the other day, I said, you know, it'd help my preaching if you'd read your Bible.

Just a thought.

Hello?

Hello?

Why do you think we study the Bible in Sunday school?

We're not going to think of some story.

We're going to teach you the book.

Can I get an amen?

It never, it's the only thing that never returns void.

It accomplishes where God sends it.

You know what's going to turn your life upside down and take you in the right path?

The word of God.

The word of God?

And then we see not only the blessedness, God gives them direction.

Sinners sought out to fear the Lord.

Can you, okay?

Hey, when you meet God, watch this.

Two things are going to happen.

One, he's going to tell you how to come to him.

Can I get an amen?

Come unto me, all you that labor and heavy laden, I'll give you rest.

Matthew 11, 28.

He's going to tell you how to come to him.

You've not chosen him, he's chosen you.

Can I get an amen?

John 15, 16.

He's going to lead you to him.

And then secondly, after you come to him, he's going to lead you where you need to go.

After they came to him, remember the story?

They left, and everywhere they went, going back, they told people about Jesus.

When you come to Jesus, he tells you how to come, and then he wants you to leave him.

And you know what he wants you to do?

It doesn't matter what occupation you got, it doesn't matter what kind of job you got.

It doesn't matter if you're a preacher, you're a fireman, you're a policeman, or doctor, it doesn't matter.

When you come to Christ, you have one mission, and that mission is to tell the good news everywhere you go of what's happened to you.

And then we can see the last thing: the brilliance of these shepherds.

They met the baby Jesus and they were forever changed.

Alright.

Let me say this.

I've always told you, you never have to believe what I'm thinking.

I will tell you.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ Jesus, he's a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.

Ladies and gentlemen, when you meet Jesus for real, when you have a Damascus Road experience, when you have a woman at the well experience, you change.

Now, if all you did was have an emotional experience, it may last a month.

It may last three months, but then you're gonna be back doing the same thing you were doing.

That's not salvation, folks.

That's an emotional decision.

It's not a real decision.

You cannot be a child of the king when you get saved and he changes you and not get the cane help it.

I can't help but speak the things that I've seen and heard.

That was the shepherds.

They got it, Joseph got it, Mary got it, Danny Lovett got it, and every one of you that's saved got it.

Three times the angels came.

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, that's what we're looking at next Sunday.

Don't miss it.

So it is the Christmas season.

There may be those things around you that you fear, but the lesson that we learn from Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds is to trust in the Lord regardless of what's happening.

And we'll be able to say peace, goodwill to men.

All right.

I gave it to you.

Here it is.

Here's your Christmas present.

Someone has cited three keys to happiness.

You ready?

Last thing.

Here's the conclusion.

In fact, an old man was asked what had robbed him of his joy.

You know what he said?

What has robbed you of your joy?

The most, or what is the greatest thing that's robbed you of your joy?

And he's been living about 80, 90 years old.

And here's what he replied.

The most thing that robbed me in from my joy in my lifetime.

Things that never happened.

Things that never happened.

I was worried about this.

I was worried about that, but they never happened.

Number one, fret not.

He loves you.

John 13, 1, he says he'll love you to the end.

Can I get an amen?

Number two, think not.

He holds you.

Your hand shall lead me.

God's hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall uphold me, it says.

Psalms 139, verse 10.

Psalms 139:10

And number three, fear not.

He keeps you.

The Lord is your keeper.

The Lord is the shade upon his right hand.

Your right hand.

Psalms 121, verse 5.

Psalms 121:5

Is there fear in your life this morning?

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

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We hope you have a wonderful day, and again, God bless you.