Fear Not - Luke 2:10
December 3, 2023
crucial question… did you put up Christmas lights before Thanksgiving…
1. 4% of Americans put up Christmas lights in October
2. 29% in November before Thanksgiving
3. 40% in November the week after Thanksgiving
4. 24% in first two weeks of December
5. 59% prefer colored lights / 22% white / 19% don’t care
6. 77% like inflatables / 22% do not
switch focus from Thanksgiving sermons to Christmas today… but don’t forget the importance of giving thanks… absolutely will improve your life… pray…
1Chron 16:7-33… “give thanks for He is good… He is worthy of our praise…”
Psa 9:1-3… “I will thank the Lord… enemies will retreat, stumble and perish…”
Psa 103… “praise the Lord… He heals all my diseases… forgives all my sins…”
1Cor 1:4… “I always thank God because of the grace given in Christ Jesus…”
Phil 4:4-9… “pray with thanksgiving… peace will guard your heart and mind…”
Col 3:15-17… “be thankful… whatever you do… word or deed… give thanks…”
Gratitude improves physical health with better sleep, lowers high blood pressure, prevents overeating, increases exercise, strengthens the immune system, improves pain tolerance, helps keep glucose levels under control, extends life span, boosts self-confidence, improves patience, reduces envy and jealousy, makes us less materialistic and more forgiving, battles depression, helps recovery from addiction, improves mood, helps us manage grief, helps us see unpleasant memories in a positive light, strengthens and improves family relationships, increases job retention, enhances productivity, improves decision-making skills. —Dr Robert Emmons
as we explore Christmas… what’s the true meaning behind it…
Prov 1:17-19… “fate of all those who are greedy… money robs them of life…”
Prov 11:24… “be stingy and lose everything…”
Eccl 5:10-13… “whoever loves wealth is never satisfied… kept to his harm…”
1Tim 6:6-10… “love of money is root of all evil… ruin, destruction, grief…”
James 5:1-3… “wealth you are counting on will eat your flesh like fire…”
if Christmas is not about presents… then what’s it all about… Peanuts has the most theological answer to that question ever… what did Linus do… he let go of his blankie, his protection against fear… he did that when he heard about Jesus…
Luke 2:10… “fear not, for behold I bring tidings of great joy… which will be to all people… for unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord…”
this baby would end all fear… this baby was so powerful Linus wouldn’t need his blanket anymore… knew this baby was for him… believed this baby loved him…
John 3:16-36… “for God so loved the world that He gave His own Son…”
1John 4:16-19… “have come to know and believe the love God has for us… in this, love is made complete… there is no fear in love… perfect love drives out fear…”
teleios… finished; wanting nothing necessary to complete; perfect…
if gifts show how much you are loved… absolutely nothing more God can give to show you He loves you… Jesus is greatest gift ever… do you know and believe…
1John 4:16… “we have come to know and believe the love God has for us…”
John 6:69… “we have come to believe and know… you are the Holy One…”
pisteou… think to be true; place your confidence in; trust Jesus is able to do something…
ginosko (know)… learn to know; understand; get knowledge of…
God loves you… we can hear so often that God’s love can seem impersonal… it is everything but that… God’s love is deeply personal… He really loves you…
Deut 23:5… “He turned the curse into a blessing because God loves you…”
John 16:27… “for the Father Himself loves you dearly…”
Col 3:12… “God chose you to be the holy people He loves…”
Jude 1:1… “writing to all who have been called by the Father who loves you…”
born with two fears (falling, loud noises)… science lists 7000… unpleasant emotion caused by belief something is dangerous or will cause pain… phobia is extreme…
kinemortophobia - fear of zombie attack and then turning into one…
coulrophobia - fear of clowns…
sidonglobophobia - fear of cotton balls or plastic foams…
hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - fear of long words…
panophobia - fear of everything…
don’t know why Linus held his blanket so tight or what he was afraid of… science has lots of ideas how to deal with fear… might help… but they don’t get rid of fear, they just manage it… spend rest of life fighting… fear is not freedom…
Gal 5:1… “for freedom, Christ set us free… stand firm… don’t submit again to slavery…”
medical treatment - medications, drugs, counseling, etc…
self-help, journaling - visualizations, positive words, write down when scared and why…
fear ladder - introduce least to most scary (dog - think, see, talk, be near, touch)…
rewards - give yourself a treat when you handle fear better than the last time…
Fear is actually the foundation of most of our actions. It’s one of two reasons we do anything at all. The other is LOVE. Fears aren’t real, they’re illusions. They don’t exist. They are responses to ideas that we’ve created from things we thought were true but actually were not. Aside from the fear of falling and loud noises, every other fear we have is based on our own reaction to an experience in life and how we’re still being held back by that fear. —The Skys The Limit Consulting
not dismissing fears you may have… fear is fear to those caught in it… human solutions can never drive out fear… only perfect love can… often easier to rely on science than bible (why)… fear not, good news, Savior been born for you… pray…
Gen 9:2… “the fear and terror of you… will be in every living creature on earth, every bird, every creature that crawls, all the fish of the sea… they are placed under your authority…”
Deut 2:25… “I will put the fear and dread of you on people everywhere… they’ll tremble…”
Job 5:22… “you will laugh at destruction and famine… not fear wild animals…”
Psa 23:4… “walk thru valley of shadow of death… I fear no evil… You are with me…”
Psa 27:1… “the Lord is my salvation (deliver, rescue, victory)… whom shall I fear, dread…”
Psa 91… “Lord is my refuge… will not fear terror… no harm will come to you…”
Prov 29:25… “fearing people is a dangerous trap… trust the Lord and be safe…”
Isa 8:12… “do not call everything a conspiracy… do not fear what they fear…”
Isa 41-43… “do not fear, I will help you… do not fear, I have redeemed you…”
Zeph 3:15… “the Lord is among you… you need no longer fear…”
Rom 8:15… “you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear…”
2Tim 1:7… “God has not given a spirit of fear… but power, love, sound mind…”
1John 4:18… “no fear in love… perfect love drives out fear…”
present indicative active tense… continuous action; fact, no doubt; accomplished by the subject (perfect love) of the verb…
ballo… give over care; throw, scatter; let go…