Fear Not: God Works Miracles

Well this morning we continue on in our Christmas sermon series called let nothing you a fright Tidings of Comfort and Joy are title for the sermon this morning is fear not God works wonders fear not God works wonders are passages morning is in Luke chapter 1 encourage you to open your Bibles to it or your devices to it, and we will read from God's word. Luke chapter 1 verses 26 through 38.

And a six-month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the House of David and The Virgins name was Mary and he came to her and he said greetings old favored one. The Lord is with you, but she was greatly troubled at the same and try to discern what sort of greeting this my ID and the angel said to her do not be afraid Mary for you have found favor with God and behold you will conceive in your room and bear a son and you should call his name Jesus. 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 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. There will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, how old is be since I am a virgin the angel answered her the holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you there for the child to be born will be called. Holy the Son of God and behold your relative Elizabeth and her old age has also conceived his son. And this is the six months with her who is called Baron for nothing will be impossible with God 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. Will you pray with me Father God we ask that you by your spirit would help us this morning as we come to your living word as we here yet. Again. This Christmas season the admonition to fear not. Father God we ask that you by your spirit would help us to understand with our mind and embrace with our heart the great truth of your word this morning knowing that I as we do so we will be conformed to the image of your son. But we asked for your help and I father God I ask for your help this morning in Christ name. Amen. Fear not God works wonders, let's begin with the idea of fear. We read and he that is the angel came to her. Mary and said Greetings. Oh favored one. The Lord is with you, but she was greatly troubled at the saying a saying that involves her fear. For some reason. Now this sermon series is built around the idea of fear and how God's people are continually reminded let nothing you afraid to not be afraid to fear not until one of the questions arising out of this text is why was Mary afraid know she would have been afraid of course because she had an Angelic visitor whenever the angel showed up people were afraid but the text indicate something more specific than that. It wasn't fact the Angels Tidings that caused her concern for greeting where he said greetings o favored one the Lord Is with you? Sounds like a fine greeting and yet it caused Mary to fear. Why. Blink commentator I Howard Marshall is correct when he knows that what caused Mary concern was the greeting and how it to quote addressed her in such exalted terms and implied that like the Great Men of the Old Testament times. She was chosen to serve God and be empowered by him. It sounds wonderful, doesn't it? But she would recognize the similarity of those words. When God spoke to his paychecks and His prophets in the Old Testament men like Isaac and Jacob and Jeremiah who were men who did great things for God, but we're also men who faced many trials and difficulties. Mary hears then from the lips of the angel Gabriel the same words that Zachariah hurt the same word that the Angels heard do not be afraid. Let me suggest you this morning that the rationale behind the Angels words to not be afraid to fear not to let nothing you afraid can be summed up with the phrase. God works wonders. That is Mary do not be afraid about my presence do not be concerned about what my reading indicates about your future rather fear. Not because God works wonders until this morning. We will consider each word from that phrase beginning with the first God God is the one who works wonders and we'll get to that in a moment. What is fascinating about this aspect? Christmas story is that God isn't just the cause of the Wonders. He is also the result of the Wonders being worked the birth. We consider this morning is the birth of God. It is a Wonder to Glorious to fully understand for us. Let alone marry we read and behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and what he called the son of the most high and later on there for the child to be born to be called. Holy the Son of God these terms son of the most high and Son of God, we're titles that in the very least indicated to the one being born would be a great king with a special intimate relationship with God. Further the Angels description of this child that he would sit on David's Throne that he would Reign Over Jacob that he would rule eternally confirms that he is the long-awaited for messiah. Now when we consider these titles when they consider the Fulfillment of Prophecy, which is pointed to we can also think back to last Christmas. When we spend some time looking at God's word and Isaiah chapter 11 verse 1 through 9 where we learned that the anticipation of Christmas is in fact, the anticipation of God himself coming to his people we can think back to the Easter sermon series when we looked at Isaiah suffering servant in Isaiah 52 and 53 and realize that the suffering servant is the messiah messiah is God. We consider these things it becomes clear that the great one the Messiah the one called the son of the most high in the Son of God is God. Further ask you to consider this morning those words from Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14 that are tied to our passage this morning. We read therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name. Immanuel is Brian prayed the name Emmanuel God With Us at all of these things and in the words of the Angel we see that Mary would give birth to God In the Flesh. God would become a man and would be born to Mary. Elderberry Wonder of that event should dispel our fears Christmas time should be a season of reflecting on the birth of a God who took on flesh.

Let's keep moving. God works wonders. Let's consider that word works. I don't understand this morning that it is God who makes Mary pregnant. It is a work of God and God Alone. We read and Mary said to the angel how will this be since I am a virgin and the angel answered or the holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you Gabriel clearly indicates that the child that will be conceived is not to be conceived by the normal natural results of procreation when a man and a woman come together know this would be a work of God by his Spirit. The spirit would come upon Mary and the power of God would overshadow her. Commentator said succinctly the Creator God who brought life out of nothing and created humans from the dust is also able to create human life in a womb. Angels Tidings indicate that among other things the knowledge the gods working should dispel the fear that Mary felt This is a very common themes for the Bible. You can find it's wrote the Old Testament and New Testament. We are called that admonish not to be afraid because God is working. Let me give you an example from Deuteronomy chapter 20 verses 1 through 4 where Moses is giving instruction to the Israelites about God's law in the Mosaic Covenant. I need a Express is clearly that certainly one of the reasons we should not fear is because God is working.

Verses 1 through 4 when you go to war against your enemies and you see horses and chariots in an army larger than your own you shall not be afraid of them for the Lord. Your God is with you who brought you out of the land of Egypt and when you draw near the battle the pre-show come forward and speak to the people and she'll say to them here o Israel today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies. Let not your heart faint. Do not fear or Panic or be in dread of them for the Lord your God. Is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you the victory? The knowledge of the working of God in our lives should be an antidote for fear. Is Reese preach last week? God coming near meetings we need not fear. What if I understand this morning that God is not like a talisman. Who sits on a shell and brings us? Good luck and Wards off evil know he is a God who works he works in us and he works through us and he works around us. And this morning we need to understand that God's working is fears. I'm doing God's working is fears on doing. We need to keep moving this morning. Let's consider the last word of the phrase. God works wonders. Let's look at the Wonders In this passage.

There are several Wonders that jump off the page as we consider the working of God and I would love to preach on all of them. I love to preach about the Fulfillment of Prophecy that is evident in the verses that read 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 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever in his kingdom. There will be no end that is God working wonders to fulfill that prophecy, but we don't have time for this morning this morning. So we'll only look at one Wonder In this passage The Wonder of the Virgin birth.

because in the working of this Wonder The Virgin birth of Jesus God demonstrates how he deals with our ultimate fears? Consider these words of author and kaporis Conference speaker Jared Wilson. I hope you remember his visit with us as he talks about the Virgin birth. He writes Christians believe is the Apostles Creed of firms in Jesus Christ. His only son our Lord this Divine title. Lord is given to Jesus as if he is God because he is God. How can this be? Why would we call a human being God? Did he become a God was he born just like us and later transformed into or was possessed by Daddy in some way. The Creed reminds us that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin. Mary Wilson goes on to say that short phrase summarizes the doctrine of the Incarnation which teaches this Jesus was simultaneously both fully God and fully man. He was not God manifesting in the illusion or appearance of a man. And he was not a man operating under the title God merely as a Divine Ambassador. Jesus was essentially totally and actually God and man the second person of the Triune godhead the eternally begotten son took on human flesh. Not a virgin birth is a Wonder because it was necessary that God caused. Jesus to be born this way that he might deal with our greatest fears. The right or the letter to the Hebrews recognize this and you are John read it this morning Hebrews 2 14 and 15 since there for the children share and Flesh and Blood. He that is God the song himself likewise partook of the same things that his flesh-and-blood that through death. He might destroy the one who has the power of death. That is the devil and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery fear of death wielded by Satan as a result of our sin and slaves all mankind. In order to deal with Satan and sin and defeat death and thereby conquer our fears God required a savior who is both Divine and human. Which necessary necessitated the Virgin birth? Jesus had to be born of a virgin and God had to work this Wonder because to human parents would not and could not produce divinity. And God's savior must the Divine Canadian Theologian Stephen wellum in his book. God the son incarnate wrote this the only one who can bring God's kingdom into reality is God himself scripture presents the kingdom of God primarily in terms of the rule of God The Obedience of his people in the Judgment of his enemies by definition these three components of God's kingdom require the presence and power of the Divine King. So when Jesus ascended to the throne of God demands and enables The Obedience of the church and triumphs over all his enemies including Satan sin and death. We must understand that these Divine works of Christ bear witness to his daddy. To conquer a greatest fear is Jesus needed to be divine. And yet he also needed to be human later on in the book well and points out a man must come to represent God on the earth a man must live and Covenant of obedience to God a man must bear the Covenant curse on behalf of disobedient humanity and a man must rule with the character of God over the Earth. We need a human savior. No less than a Divine One. And the only way for our greatest fears to be conquered was for God to come as a man to live a perfect life untainted by sin. Haven't committed. No sin. There's only Daddy can do. But to die a death in punishment for the sins of human beings as a human would and then to be raised from the dead. That's exactly what God did through Jesus Christ Our Earthly component of that great work that work of Wonder began at the very first Christmas with the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ and his birth and life and death and resurrection and Ascension De Jesus defeated death. Through the Forgiveness of our sins and then defeating death through his own death. He also destroyed the devil and demolished our fears. God Work The Wonder of the Virgin birth so that Jesus could work The Wonder of conquering our greatest fears. And if our greatest fears are defeated. If the devil and death and sin have been destroyed then the Angelic refrain that surrounds the birth of Jesus do not be afraid fear not let nothing you afraid. It was not only a message for those in the days of the birth of Jesus Christ, but it's a message for us this morning. If you're here this morning and you're an unbeliever, this message is for you fear not God works wonders. This morning, you can choose to fight your very real and very dangerous fears by putting your faith in the one who conquered them all. You can believe in the WonderWorks by God in the Virgin birth the light the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You cannot conquer these fears by yourself. Are there real Fierce? They're not like the boogeyman of the monster under your bed.

The real real reality that separate you from God. And put you under his judgment.

But those fears are dealt with when we put our faith in Christ. Believers, this message is for you today and 2017. Angus Reid told Canadians to find out what they most feared. Here are the top 5 results excluding death.

illness Financial struggle evil people harm coming to family and friends and politics. Does that not perfectly describe our current situation? Across the world people are afraid of illness are afraid of the financial struggle. They're facing are afraid of evil people are afraid of harm coming to family and friends and are afraid of what the politicians and the leaders of the world will do. Our current situation couldn't line up any better with what our greatest fears as people are. Some of the other answers were war and crying and being alone and failure and climate issues and culture issues and problematic relationships. Brothers and sisters this morning. What are you afraid of?

What is it that causes you to fear whatever it is? I believe that reflecting on and trusting in God's work of Wonder through Jesus Christ is the best way you can fight those fears. The Tidings of Comfort and Joy and the admonition to be not afraid to fear not to let nothing you afraid are based on this Christmas announcement. The Jesus has come and he's taken on flash and he's become a man and be born to marry that he might save his people. Design options are based on the life that Jesus would go on to live in the death that he would go on to die and the resurrection from that death to life. This morning. Let me encourage you to fight your fears with faith and with Fidelity to the message of Christmas to those Tidings of Comfort and Joy that is savior has come. amen I like to invite those who are getting baptized to make their way backstage as they make their way backstage. I'm also going to make my way back stage the two young men who you will see baptized this morning. I'm very close to me my son and my nephew and so I'm going to join them and John in the water for their back to understand that you will not did not get to see the first two baptisms and will not get to see the two that happen at 11. But all of the baptisms will be taped and everyone in the congregation will be sent a link so that you can watch him all but let us this morning as we consider the admonition to fear not as we think about God working wonders, let us Reflect on the wonder that God has worked in the lives of these two young men. I'm going to ask John to close out the sermon and prayer is I quickly get changed.