Welcome to Week Two of “A Charlie Brown
Christmas.” We are exploring the real meaning of
Christmas through the perspective of the various
Characters in this classic Christmas TV special.
I trust that you are already praying for the friends
and family you’ve committed to invite to our special
Christmas service next week.
As you saw in that video, the premise of the show
is Charlie Brown’s disillusionment – depression - even
unhappiness – with Christmas and his effort to
discover the real meaning of Christmas.
In our first sermon we chose to turn the tables on all
the distractions of Christmas – turning them into
reminders:
Christmas Lights = Jesus the Light of the World
Christmas Gifts = Jesus is the Greatest Gift
Christmas Tree = The First Christmas Tree – an
Old Rugged Cross
When you talk about Christmas – Advent – there are
a number of words that come to mind that convey
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what Christmas is all about. The key words focused
on during the 4 weeks of Advent are Hope, Love,
Joy and Peace. And these are indeed important
themes of the Christmas season. Maybe you would
add other words such as goodwill… giving… family…
But there is another word that takes prominence
in the Biblical Christmas story that you probably
wouldn’t think of if we were playing a game of
“Name that Christmas Word”– a word that was
important during the first advent of Christ, and a
word that remains important as we look forward to
the 2 nd Advent -2 nd Coming of Christ: and that word
is FEAR!
The title of my Message today is “Fear Not!”
When Charles Shultz wrote the Charlie Brown
Christmas Special he introduced the problem of fear
as Charlie Brown sat at Lucy’s psychiatrist booth.
Take a look at the screen! Play video
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Starting around 4:30 with Charlie at Psychiatrist booth through 6:05
“That’s It!!”
Charlie Brown admits that he is afraid of Everything!
Now that’s probably not true of most of us, but
Everyone, regardless of how brave they seem, is
afraid of something.
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It may be any number of things such as Heights,
Snakes, Spiders, Disease, Financial Setbacks, Old Age,
Gray Hair, Rejection (Divorce), Disappointment,
Being Forgotten, Failure Etc.
As I was preparing for this message I was reminded
of just how much fear plays a part in our lives today
I Googled the word Fear and alongside various
definitions, other links popped up… things like…
New Jersey drone sightings
Russia/Ukranian War
Syria
Franklin Fire (in California)
Fear and Greed Index = measures stock market
sentiment, showing if fear or greed influences
investor actions.
Article from Smithsonian Magazine (Put up Headline)
SMART NEWS
These Are Americans’ Biggest Fears in 2024, as the
Country Is ‘Becoming More Afraid’
Sarah Kuta Daily Correspondent October 25, 2024
“Government corruption, loved ones becoming ill or dying,
cyberterrorism and nuclear weapons topped the list of
Chapman University’s annual survey. Overall, the findings of a
new survey suggest Americans are more scared in general than
they have been in recent history.
Americans are afraid, very afraid.
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Fear is playing a bigger role in American life than at any time in
recent history, ... Americans are afraid of more things, and
they’re more afraid of those things than they have been in the
past, ...”
Fear has been a part of the human existence since the
fall of man in [Gen 3:8-10 NLT] 8 When the cool evening
breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD
God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD
God among the trees. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man,
"Where are you?" 10 He replied, "I heard you walking in the
garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked."
Nothing has changed! People are still caught in the
grip of their fears, and perhaps even more so during
the Christmas Season. It should be a time that is
joyous, happy and most of all Christ-centered. Yet the
season is full of fear,
fear of not having enough money,
fear of not meeting everyone’s expectations
(what if I didn’t get them the right gift or what if
they get me a better gift than I got them);
we worry over meals, over who will be there and
who will not. We just seem to fear everything.
This morning I want us to look to Scripture where we
see that 3 times God sent angelic messengers to the
earth with messages connected to the birth of His
Son, Jesus. Each time, they brought big news, news
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which troubled the hearts of their hearers. 3 times
angels appeared. 3 times they said, "Fear not."
Let’s examine the messages of these angels and learn
for ourselves what it means to "Fear Not" and how to
move from Fear to Faith!
1. First, We Learn from Mary to Fear Not, Only
Believe (Luke 1:26-31,34-35)
[Luke 1:26-31, 34-35 NLT] 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's
pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in
Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be
married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28
Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The
Lord is with you!" 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think
what the angel could mean. 30 "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel
told her, "for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive
and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ... 34 Mary
asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin." 35 The
angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will
be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
Have you ever questioned God?
When our lives don’t go as we have planned it is easy
to fear the unknown and begin to question God.
Often, God will allow things to happen in your life and
in mine that seem hard to bear… hard to understand,
yet the Lord allows them our way so that we might
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grow in Him and come to know Him in a better way.
When these times arise, it is easy to question God.
Let’s look for a moment at Mary’s situation.
If Mary was to be a part of God’s plan she faced
the possibility her engagement to Joseph would be
broken;
she knew that Joseph would have the legal right
to have her executed when it becomes known that
she was pregnant.
Even if somehow Joseph would still marry her, she
knew how people would talk; they would have a
reputation for being sexually promiscuous.
A. God called on Mary to step out in faith in order
to be a part of His divine plan. But being a part
of the plan would cost Mary something. Yet Mary
was willing to step out on faith because she
knew God loved her.
God won’t challenge us to do something difficult or
risky just for fun – or just to scare us. God loves us
and only wants what is best for our lives. God is not
going to manipulate us and then laugh at us if we fail.
B. Mary asked some legitimate questions; if she
was going to become pregnant she would like to
know how this was going to happen. However,
Mary did not let her questions stop her.
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C. Mary said, “YES!” to the part of the plan that
God had given her.
When God challenges you to move out on faith and be
a part of a God-given dream, it’s alright to ask some
questions. It is okay to say, “God, that’s a great
dream, but how are we supposed to get there?”
Don’t just run in fear and say No. God answered
Mary. He will answer your honest questions too.
Now it’s important to understand that God didn’t give
Mary all the details; Gabriel only gave Mary enough
information so she could make a willing response to
God’s plan.
But it still required a step of faith. She would have to
believe what God said and move from fear to faith!
God will give us just enough light for the path that is
before us; as the Psalmist says, “Your word is a lamp
for my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105 ).
We are Told, Fear Not Only Believe and..
2. Secondly, We Learn from Joseph To Fear Not
Only Obey (Matthew 1:18-25)
[Matthew 1:18-21, 24 NLT] 18 This is how Jesus the Messiah
was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to
Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was
still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of
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the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and
did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to
break the engagement quietly. 20 As he considered this, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son
of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as
your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the
Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to
name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their
sins." ... 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of
the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
When Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy there
appeared to be only two possible solutions:
1. He could divorce Mary quietly and have her sent
away until the baby was born… or
2. He could divorce her publicly, and thereby subject
her to the public ridicule and humiliation … possibly
even death according to the OT law
But as he thought on these things he received a
message from heaven with a 3 rd , almost unimaginable
option: “Get married!”
I am sure that Joseph must have thought something
like this: “I don’t understand all of what I have been
told. I sure can’t explain it. I’m not even sure I’m all
together happy about it, but if it’s God’s will then
count me in!”
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So for you today, “Do not fear God’s purposes. They
may look difficult in the beginning, but in the end, He
will be glorified and you will be blessed.”
Paul tells us in Romans 8:28; “And we know that all
things work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His
purpose.”
Nowhere does God say that all things are good, but
rather that “all things will work together for good”
I recently officiated a marriage ceremony and was
asked by the couple to share a Bible verse that meant
a lot to them… (2 Cor. 4:17) ”For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, is working for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
Whatever we are called upon to do in this life for his
sake, even if it is a bit scary, will in the end be found
to be worth it all.
Some of you may be holding back on God – not fully
obeying, because of fear. But I want to encourage
you with the word of the angel: Fear Not! Just Obey
God!
3. We Learn from Shepherds to Fear Not Because
You Are Important To God (Luke 2:8-11)
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[Luke 2:8-11 KJV] 8 And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.
Why were these shepherds afraid? Well the truth is
people 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 face up with who we really are.
Adam
Isaiah 6
You may think that if God is even aware that you
exist, He probably doesn’t have a very favorable
opinion of you. A lot of people, deep down, secretly
feel like that! (“How could God love me…???....)
Shepherds were on the lowest rung of the socio-
economic ladder of that day. But when God decided
to announce Christ’s birth to the world he didn’t go to
palaces or synagogues… he went to lowly shepherds.
The appearance of the angels to the shepherds tells
us, “No matter how insignificant you may think you
are, God knows you and you are important to him.”
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The Apostle Paul says in 1 Cor. 1:26-28, “For you see your
calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble, are called. (27) But God has
chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise,
and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame
the things which are mighty; (28) and the base things of the world
and the things which are despised God has chosen…”
Shepherds were just ordinary common people. They
were not the social elite, they were just blue collar
working folks. But when they heard the message of
the angels they said to themselves, “Let’s go and see
what the angels have told us about”.
They responded in faith to the message of salvation:
“For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a
Saviour who is Christ the Lord.”
The shepherds did what we all must do, they
overcame their fears and came to Christ in faith.
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: 1) fear not only believe (trust God), 2) fear
not only obey (do what He says), 3) fear not because
you are important to God (He knows you & loves you).
Conclusion: Musicians Come
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At the end of Luke’s Gospel Jesus predicts that in the
last days people’s hearts will fail them for fear.
[Luke 21:25-28 NLT] 25 "And there will be strange signs in the sun,
moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil,
perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be
terrified at what they see coming upon the earth…
But then Jesus gives us a word of hope…
27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with
power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to
happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!"
We don’t have to live in fear; we have the hope that
the same Jesus who came 2,000 years ago to save us
from our sins, is coming again to save us from this
world of sin.
Phillips Brooks penned a seemingly contradictory line
in his carol “O, Little Town Of Bethlehem”: “The
hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee
tonight.”
Whatever fears you may be facing this Christmas
season, I pray that you find hope in the words of the
angels: Fear Not!
Prayer:
Invitation: One of the biggest fears that people face
is the fear of dying. But the answer to that fear is
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found in the one born in Bethlehem’s manger,
crucified on Calvary’s cross.
