Fear and the Birth of Jesus

1
Fear and the Birth of Jesus

• Bob Mullen
• December 20, 2009

2
Healthy Fears We Can Create

• Fear of a hot oven.
• Fear of heights.
• Fear of injury.
• Fear of God.

3
Unhealthy Fears We Can Create

• Fear of the economy.
• Fear of death.
• Fear of failure.
• Fear of enemies.
• Fear of tomorrow.

4
Fears Around the Birth of Jesus

• ESV, Luke 126 In the sixth month the angel
  Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee
  named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man
  whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And
  the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her
  and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is
  with you!

5
Mary

• 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying,
  and tried to discern what sort of greeting this
  might be. 30 And the angel said to her, Do not
  be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with
  God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your
  womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name
  Jesus.

6
Mary

• 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of
  the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him
  the throne of his father David, 33 and he will
  reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his
  kingdom there will be no end.

7
Mary

• 34 And Mary said to the angel, How will this be,
  since I am a virgin? 
• At this point, Marys faith is weak, and her
  harmful fear is high.

8
Gabriel Helps Her Faith

• 35 And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit
  will come upon you, and the power of the Most
  High will overshadow you therefore the child to
  be born will be called holythe Son of God.
  36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old
  age has also conceived a son, and this is the
  sixth month with her who was called barren.

9
Gabriel

• 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.
• 38 And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of
  the Lord let it be to me according to your
  word. And the angel departed from her.

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How Marys Fear Became Faith

• She had already cultivated a relationship with
  God.
• She listened to Godly counsel.
• She saw Gods hand around Elizabeth- experience
  of others.
• She believed the angel with God, nothing is
  impossible.

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The Fears of Herod

• Matthew 21 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem
  of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold,
  wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
  2 saying, Where is he who has been born king of
  the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and
  have come to worship him.

12
Herod

• 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was
  troubled, and all Jerusalem with him 4 and
  assembling all the chief priests and scribes of
  the people, he inquired of them where the Christ
  was to be born. 5 They told him, In Bethlehem of
  Judea,

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Herod

• 6 And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of
  Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of
  Judahfor from you shall come a rulerwho will
  shepherd my people Israel.

14
Herod

• 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and
  ascertained from them what time the star had
  appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem,
  saying, Go and search diligently for the child,
  and when you have found him, bring me word, that
  I too may come and worship him.

15
Herod

• 9 After listening to the king, they went on their
  way...
• 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to
  Herod, they departed to their own country by
  another way.

16
Herod

• 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel
  of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and
  said, Rise, take the child and his mother, and
  flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you,
  for Herod is about to search for the child, to
  destroy him.

17
Herod

• 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother
  by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained
  there until the death of Herod. This was to
  fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet,
  Out of Egypt I called my son.

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What Fear Can Lead To

• 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been
  tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he
  sent and killed all the male children in
  Bethlehem and in all that region who were two
  years old or under, according to the time that he
  had ascertained from the wise men.

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Herods Likely Fears

• I wont have power if this baby King lives.
• Without power, I wont have status.
• Without status, I wont have money.

20
Herods Likely Fears

• Without money, I will be ridiculed.
• If I am ridiculed, that would be terrible.
• How do I stop this? I can kill all the male
  babies.

21
Mary and Herod

• Both were troubled- Mary even more so.
• Trouble revealed the condition of their heart and
  faith.
• Marys faith led her to submission.
• Herods fear led him to do sin.

22
When troubles hit us
23
Jesus Had Troubles, Too

• NKJ John 1321 When Jesus had said these things,
  He was troubled in spirit, and testified and
  said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you
  will betray Me."

24
Seek His Peace

• NKJ John 1427 "Peace I leave with you, My peace
  I give to you not as the world gives do I give
  to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither
  let it be afraid.

25
Believe in God

• ESV, John 141 Let not your hearts be troubled.
  Believe in God believe also in me. 2 In my
  Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so,
  would I have told you that I go to prepare a
  place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place
  for you, I will come again and will take you to
  myself, that where I am you may be also.

26
Keep God As Our Refuge

• ESV, Psalm 526 The righteous shall see and fear,
  and shall laugh at him, saying, 7 See the man
  who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in
  the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in
  his own destruction! 

27
Look For Jesus to Step In

• Not literally, but spiritually.
• ESV, Matthew 1426 But when the disciples saw him
  walking on the sea, they were terrified, and
  said, It is a ghost! and they cried out in
  fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them,
  saying, Take heart it is I. Do not be afraid.

28
See Gods Way of Escape

• Not ours!
• ESV, 1 Corinthians 1013 No temptation has
  overtaken you that is not common to man. God is
  faithful, and he will not let you be tempted
  beyond your ability, but with the temptation he
  will also provide the way of escape, that you may
  be able to endure it.

29
Let God Straighten Our Path

• ESV, Prov. 35-6 
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and do not
  lean on your own understanding.In all your ways
  acknowledge him,and he will make straight your
  paths.

30
Troubles Will Come

• Will we handle them with fear like Herod or with
  faith like Mary?