Do Not Be Afraid

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Do Not Be Afraid</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id346.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Making A Difference Through Prayer"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id327.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where Was God Truth To Remember"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"Do Not Be Afraid," Berean Bible Church, </B></div> <div> <B>Christmas Eve Worship, December 24, 2002</B></div> <bR> <div>      "It's supposed to be 'the most wonderful time of the year' - but for many Americans, the winter holidays are anything but merry. Indeed, psychologists attest that the season to be jolly can in fact be the loneliest and most stressful time of the year for many individuals - and more so due to the commercially-sponsored pressure to have a 'happy' holiday. 'These times are supposed to be special, so when they're not, that creates problems,' marriage and family psychologist Rita DeMaria said. Some of the issues are obvious: the pressure to overspend, to please the kids and impress the neighbors, to eat and drink too much, attend every party, be in two places at once, buy perfect gifts for everyone and to look our best. But other stressors are more insidious. For example, ubiquitous Yuletide songs and greeting cards wish joy to us and our 'loved ones.' But in reality, many of us share our [holiday] dinner tables with drunken great-uncles, obnoxious second cousins and others we can't stand." ["The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?" Dec 23, 2002, Jennifer D'Angelo, Foxnews.com.]</div> <div>      But its not always such a wonderful world. In the larger world, we see the realities of terrorism, of war, and of soldiers on duty. Closer to home we face difficult times economically, pressure at work, family troubles, troubled relationships; and destructive or painful personal habits, choices and their consequences. </div> <div>      In the midst of tension, disappointment, worry, anxiety, and fear - there comes hope. The circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ were filled with tension and anxiety. But the coming of Christ brought new hope. It is not merely the holiday itself that brings hope, it is the meaning behind the holiday. Hope is seen in the words, "do not be afraid," spoken to the shepherds, to Mary, and to Joseph.</div> <bR> <div> Here are three lessons from the phrase "Do not be afraid . . ."</div> <div> <B>I. </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Luke+2:8-14" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Luke 2:8-14</B></U></A></div> <div>      In Luke 2:10, these words were spoken to the shepherds in the announcement of birth of Christ. Their fear seems to have stemmed from the appearance of the angel. They represent the lowly and humble (Bock). Even more marvelous than the angel's bright appearance on a dark night is the appearance of God in the flesh on planet earth! It is good news! For all the people (not just for the shepherds)! It is news of salvation , of forgiveness of sin, hope for the future, eventual peace on earth!</div> <div> <B>     </B><B>Do not be afraid . . . To accept the message of salvation.</B> It seems safe worshiping a baby. That baby is the Savior, God in the flesh, who died for you. Trust him.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Matt+1:18-23" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Matthew 1:18-23</B></U></A></div> <div>      In Matthew 1:20, "do not be afraid" was spoken to Joseph regarding taking Mary as his wife. His fear stemmed from his apprehension to marry this woman who was with child apart from his doing. He wanted to do the right thing, out of love for Mary. </div> <div>      <B>Do not be afraid . . . To step forward in obedience to God.</B> This baby is Lord of all!</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Luke+1:26-38" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Luke 1:26-38</B></U></A></div> <div>      In Luke 1:30, these words were spoken to Mary regarding the birth of Christ. She was troubled at what he said (vs. 29). In vs. 38, Mary affirmed that she was a servant of the Lord. </div> <div>      <B>Do not be afraid . . . To let God use you for something great.</B> He can use humble and willing people in great ways.</div> <bR> <div>      Have a tender and responsive heart to God, as these people did. They were average people, very much like us, except that they were open to hearing from God and doing things his way.</div> <bR> <div>      "Laszlo Tokes, the Romanian pastor whose mistreatment outraged the country and prompted rebellion against the Communist ruler Ceausescu, tells of trying to prepare a Christmas sermon for the tiny mountain church to which he had been exiled. The state police were rounding up dissidents, and violence was breaking out across the country. Afraid for his life, Tokes bolted his doors, sat down, and read again the stories in Luke and Matthew. Unlike most pastors who would preach that Christmas, he chose as his text the verses describing Herod's massacre of the innocents. It was the single passage that spoke most directly to his parishioners. Oppression, fear, and violence, the daily plight of the underdog, they well understood.</div> <div>      "The next day, Christmas, news broke that Ceausescu had been arrested. Church bells rang, and joy broke out ail over Romania. Another King Herod had fallen. Tokes recalls, 'All the events of the Christmas story now had a new, brilliant dimension for us, a dimension of history rooted in the reality of ourlives.... For those of us who lived through them, the days of Christmas 1989 represented a rich, resonant embroidery of the Christmas story, a time when the providence of God and the foolishness of human wickedness seemed as easy to comprehend as the sun and the moon over the timeless Transylvanian hills.' For the first time in four decades, Romania celebrated Christmas as a public holiday." (Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, p. 39.)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2002, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>