Welcome as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This morning we are going to deal with the subject of fear. Now I can hear the gears in your head turning, “This is Christmas, what in the world is he doing talking about fear?” That is a great question and the reality is the Bible talks a lot about fear. Let me give you a few verses out of the many that speak of the fear of the Lord.

            In Joshua 24:14 Joshua tells us, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!” Now please understand that this was not a blind leap of faith.  They saw God’s works and experienced His blessings, so it made sense for them to exclusively serve a God who had done so much for them. They also saw what happens when they rejected the Lord and thus, it was healthy for them to have a fear of the Lord not only in respect, but understanding who He is, Almighty God!

            In Deuteronomy 6:24 we are told, “And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.” This word that is used for “fear” can mean reverence, respect but it can also mean afraid, fearful, terrified. Then which is it? It all depends on how you approach the Lord. If you approach Him by faith in Christ, then it is a reverential fear. If you approach Him apart from Christ, in your own righteousness, then you should be afraid, you should be fearful, you should be terrified!

            You see, that is exactly what the Scriptures teach us in regards to our God. If you do not fear the Lord reverentially, then you are forsaking Him and you should be afraid. In Jeremiah 2:19 we are told, “‘Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the Lord your God, And the fear of Me is not in you,’ Says the Lord God of hosts.” Also, in Proverbs 1:28-30 we are told, “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke.”

            Do you see that having a fear of the Lord is a good thing and if you don’t, then your heart is cold, it is insensitive to the things of God and yet, it does not change the reality that there is a God and He is a righteous judge! Now in saying that, there are people that have all kinds of fear, all kinds of what we call today phobias and for the most part, they are irrational. And yet, when it comes to the fear of the Lord, that is one that people tend to negate and it is not irrational, it should be very real!

             And even in the church today there is a push not to fear God for God is love and a God of love would never send anyone to Hell, if there is even such a place. Listen to this article from USA Today titled, “Should believers fear Hell – and God?” Listen to what they are saying and how they try to downplay this and then we will look at the ramifications of what this article is saying and what many others are wrongly saying. We are told,

People have been wrestling with the question for as long as we’ve been people. And though Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and others have tried to eliminate some of the mystery from what lies ahead, the truth is we’re all speculating. Not even the pope or Billy Graham has been given an advance tour of the other side. . . .

The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans all had elaborate beliefs about the afterlife. We’re no different. Right now, a book is burning through America’s churches that has put the issue back front and center for many. The book - Love Wins - by Rob Bell challenges the traditional Christian belief in a place of eternal punishment. Damnation.

Most Americans still believe in hell. A 2009 poll by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life put the number at 59%. . . .

Ask these folks why they cling to such a decidedly medieval notion, and they will tell you: Because the Bible teaches it! And if we’re talking about the King James Bible, they are right - at least on the surface. But dig into the languages in which the Bible was actually written - Greek and Hebrew - and things get murky.

Nowhere in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) is the abode of the dead described as a place of eternal punishment. Rather, “Sheol” as it is sometimes called, appears as a shadowy, dreamlike place where all people - good and evil- are destined.

. . . Even Jesus gets misquoted here. Clearly, Jesus taught that there would be a day of reckoning. In the 25^th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, he paints a disturbing picture of it. “I was hungry and you didn't feed me. Naked and you didn't clothe me.”

But the Greek word that is often translated “eternal” (aionos) - whether it is used to describe punishment or life - is better understood as a word of quality, not quantity. Punishment is only “eternal” (in the way that Americans understand that word) in the sense that it could be final.

Nearly every reference to “hell” that comes from the lips of Jesus is a mistranslation.

            The word translated as hell by the King James Bible is the word “Gehenna,” literally “the valley of the sons of Hinnom.” This notorious valley on the south side of Jerusalem was once the site of pagan sacrifices, including child sacrifice, and had been cursed by the prophets of Israel. By Jesus’ day, it served as the garbage dump. It was a foul, noxious place where dogs roamed and fires burned. Jesus seized upon this vivid imagery in his sermons. He urged people to repent (literally “change your mind”), lest they end up in Gehenna (i.e. the garbage dump).

            He could just as easily have told them to repent or they would wind up throwing away their lives.

Rob Bell makes the case that turning Jesus into a purveyor of hell-fire and brimstone religion stands his gospel on its head. After all, Jesus taught that God was loving and merciful - more loving and merciful, he insisted, than a human parent.

Equally fundamental to Christian, Jewish and Muslim beliefs about God is that God is a God of justice. A bedrock principal of justice is that the punishment must fit the crime. We don't impose the death penalty for speeding tickets.

Now, I’m a pretty decent parent, and I’m married to an even better one. I can guarantee that if one of our daughters turned out to be a murderer, neither of us would respond by setting fire to her. We wouldn’t torture her for a second, much less a trillion years. (Reality check: A trillion years is a mere droplet in the ocean of eternity.)

Yet millions of Americans are laboring under the heavy psychological burden that if they don’t believe the right things about God - or “accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior” as Evangelicals like to put it -they will burn in hell forever.

Several questions cry out for a response. Why would we worship a God like that? And, perhaps more important, what kind of people - and, consequently, a nation - does that make us?

The answer to the first question is simple: fear. Fear is a horrible motivator for human behavior. It can cause us to do all sorts of wild things. If we really believe that unorthodox beliefs will lead people to everlasting torment, you begin to understand things such as the Crusades, inquisitions, witch hunts and, yes, jihad. Muslims, too, believe in a place of everlasting torment. Forgive me if it sounds circular, but irrational fears are scary.

The second answer is less apparent though no less disturbing. I suspect that a deep-seated fear of God lies behind much of the neurosis - if not actual psychosis - that we see in the world today. No person is as sick as a person who is sick on bad religion.

So the hornet’s nest Bell kicked over with his little book is one that affects us all. Because the kind of God Americans worship affects the kind of people we are. If that God is unjust when doling out punishment, it’s likely we will be the same. If folks don’t measure up to our standard, then, off with their heads.

Though we may speak of such a God as loving - and as his devotees think of ourselves in a similar fashion-— deep down, we know it’s a sham.

- Oliver Thomas, USATODAY.com, 08/07/11

            It is amazing to see the misinformation that is given here and yet, in the blogs that were written about this article, no one picked up on them. Think about this. If Jesus is promising us a quality of life, then what happens when a person is dying of cancer, has a terminal illness, is mentally retarded, has heart failure and the list can go on-and-on of the devastating illnesses, diseases, sicknesses that are out there besides all the other stuff. If it is in this life there is to be a quality to it, many if not most have missed out on it. So it can’t be speaking of that.

            The reality is this. In Matthew 25:46, the verses he was quoting out of and just took what he wanted, the Greek word for “eternal” or “everlasting” is AIONOIS,

(ahee-o’nee-os) and it speaks of perpetual, continuous, for ever, everlasting, uninterrupted and-so-on. It is not speaking of a quality of life, although everlasting life with Jesus is perfect, it is great and apart from Him it is Hell!

            And as you read through the Bible you will find that Jesus taught more on Hell than anyone else. If it was not real, if it was just a garbage dump, why spend so much time talking about it and warning people not to go to the garbage dump? It would make no sense.

            Jesus was using Gehenna as an illustration of Hell and if you miss the point, if you think it is not that bad, then listen to what Jesus said about it in Mark 9:43-48, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched - where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -  where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire - where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’”

Like it or not, agree with it or not, Hell is a place of eternal conscious punishment for the wicked! Think about what Jesus is saying here in Mark chapter 9. Hell or Gehenna is the final resting place or place of torment for those who reject God, the Lake of Fire. And Jesus uses the Valley of Hinnom, a physical place to the south of Jerusalem as an illustration. This is where the city garbage was burned and the smoke and fire burned continually. And if you still don’t get it, Jesus said in Mark 9:44, “where ‘Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”

What does that mean? The worm speaks of maggots that feed on garbage, dead things. Thus, these maggots will eternally feed upon the eternal bodies of those who have rejected Jesus. The fire burning continually speaks of their eternal bodies being used for fuel for this fire to consume. It is not a pretty picture, nor is it meant to be. It is a reality outside of Christ! Jesus wants people to be aware of where they will go with Him and where they will go if they reject Him and try to stand before Him in their own filthy righteousness. People can misquote the Scriptures if they want, but it will not change what Jesus is saying, Hell is real and a holy and righteous God will judge man apart from Christ and they will come up short. It is only in Christ that are sins are cast as far as the east is from the west to be remembered no more!

Now some may argue that God does not love us then, He is not a God of love if He can issue this kind of judgment upon people. First of all we deserve the punishment that is due us, and God will not give us more than we deserve because His judgment is perfect. Secondly, it is not that God has condemned us and that is it, we are doomed. No, His love is seen in His action, what He has done for us.

We all know the verse in John 3:16 and we are going to read through a few more verses here in John chapter 3 to show you how much God loves us and where we stand apart from Him. We are told, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:16-21.

As you read these verses you clearly see that Jesus is a master communicator.  In these 25 words here in John 3:16 He gives to us the Father’s heart – He loves the world, you and me!  He then gives to us the Father’s plan – He gave His only begotten Son to be sin for us, to pay the penalty for our sins.  And lastly, He gives to us His will – that whoever believes will be saved, not just a quantity of life but a quality of life! 

And keep in mind that the word “perish” is APOLETAI in the Greek and it is not speaking of annihilation for those that refuse to believe but a final destiny of ruin in Hell apart from God, who is life, who is truth, who is joy!  God wants to save but He will not force anyone, He will invite them to come and then it is up to each individual to respond. 

Now here’s the thing. Why didn’t God condemn us?  Because we are already condemned, dead in our trespasses and sins, thus, Jesus has come to give us life, to save us. That is why He came!  Think of it this way, “An old legend tells of a traveler circling the globe on foot, when, somewhere in his travels, he found himself trapped in quicksand. As he slowly sank, Confucius came by and said, ‘Confucius say, it is evident man should avoid such situations,’ as he went on his way.  Mohammed came by and said, ‘Die infidel!’ No, but he said, ‘Alas, it is the will of Allah,’ as he went on his way.  Buddha came by, and said, ‘Let this man’s dilemma be an illustration for many,’ as he went on his way.  Krishna came by and said, ‘Better luck next time,’ as he went on his way. Jesus Christ came by, reached out to the man, and pulled him out.”   That is what God has done for us. It is as Paul said in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  And Jesus said in John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” 

But we also see the tragic response of some as they refuse to come to Jesus and thus, they are and will remain condemned until they do. God has done everything possible to save us except force us, now it is up to us to receive that gift. You see, we need to fear the Lord; it is the beginning of wisdom when we come to that place and recognize Him as the Creator and Savior of the World!

Make no mistake about it, Hell is real and so is Heaven and there are only two options, reject Jesus and you will be eternally separated from Him in Hell or receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you will spend eternity with Him. Those are the only two options and it doesn’t matter if you agree with it or not. The Scriptures are clear. And if you don’t know Jesus, then you should fear Him for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God, our God who hates sin! But it is also a wonderful thing to have that reverential fear of God in knowing who He is and His great love for us that He sent Jesus to save us from our sins.

In saying that, I have titled this study, “Do Not Be Afraid?” And as we will see, there is a good reason why would should not be afraid unless we reject the reason for the season, we reject Jesus! So with that said, let’s begin reading in Luke chapter 2, staring in verse 1 as we look at the story of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

One more thing before we get started here. When Julie and I were on vacation, I believe we were in Roatan which is located off the coast of Honduras in the Western Caribbean, since it is Christmas time there was a full scale nativity scene. As I looked at this I asked Julie, “What is wrong with this picture?” as I was laughing. There were Mary and Joseph. There were the wise men, even though they did not come to the birth of Jesus. There was the shepherd. And there were two pigs hanging around the manger! I don’t think that is Kosher, do you? Anyway, as funny as that is, at least to me, let’s get to our text!

Let’s look at the events that transpired here and then we will focus on this issue of not being afraid or should we? First of all let’s try to date this event. According to historical documents Quirinius was governor over Syria in 7-9 A. D., which would place the birth of Christ several years too late! Now, because of this we see the Bible critics shout, “Here it is, an error in the Bible. Good luck trying to refute this one!”

But here is the rest of that story and it will clear things up for us. You see, Quirinius governed Syria twice and it would coincide with the birth of Christ being around 4 B. C. So that is the time frame of this census. No error here, Luke is correct in what he stated!

We are also told of a man named Caesar Augustus, born Gaius Octavius Thurinus and he ruled Rome from 27 B. C. to 14 A. D. And it is Caesar Augusts who makes this decree that a census be taken. You see, these men thought they were god’s and in power, in control, and what they wanted done was done or else! But, as we are going to see, he was not in control. God was using him as His instrument to fulfill His plans!

Now, because of this decree, this census, Joseph and Mary make this 80 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, which means the house of bread, to fulfill the command of Caesar Augustus. You see, he wanted them to return to their hometowns to be taxed there, and both Joseph and Mary were from Bethlehem. This was a difficult journey, but Joseph was not going to leave his pregnant wife home, especially with all the talk about her becoming pregnant before marriage and not by Joseph!

Now this seems unfair to us. How can God make this family travel all that way because some guy in Rome has this power thing going! But that truly is not the case, even though from a human perspective it does not seem fair. God has a plan, He has a purpose for this and it is just as He had said was to take place, is happening!

 You see, in Micah 5:2 we are told, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”

Here is the incredible, an unbelievable thing that was taking place. Some 700 years before this event took place God said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and how would you get this couple to travel that far in her condition, the later stages of her pregnancy?

You would have a decree sent by this power hungry ruler that all must return to their hometowns for taxation purposes. So who is really in control, in power? God! It is as Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; he turns it wherever He wishes.”  

And here is a prophecy specifically telling us where the Messiah was to be born, in Bethlehem and specifically the Bethlehem in Judah, Bethlehem Ephrathah! There were two Bethlehem’s and God was very specific where the Messiah was to be born. And think about this, there is no way that Jesus could have arranged that one unless He is who He says He is! 

Not only that, but this babe that was to be born was from everlasting or beyond the vanishing point. It speaks of His eternal existence. And the realty is, God became flesh and dwelt among us! Now here, this word “everlasting” does not mean a good life or abundant life, it means eternal, everlasting. He didn’t come from a good life, his parents were poor, looked down upon, so that would make no sense. You see, you can’t pick and chose what this word means. It can’t mean abundant life or good life and bad life when it is speaking of Heaven and Hell, it means eternal!

            Now I don’t believe Joseph and Mary were married at this time, not in the sense of consummating their marriage. You see, in verse 5 it says that they were “betrothed” and the word “wife” was added, but I believe added incorrectly. It seems that at this point they were not married yet, not until after the birth of Jesus. Now to Joseph, they were married, but, like I have said, the consummation of their marriage did not take place until after the birth of Jesus.

You see, after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary had a normal marital relationship. They had sexual relations after the birth of Jesus and thus, they had sons and daughters. That is what the Scriptures tell us.

I am amazed as I watch all the fanfare that goes along with things like the Super Bowl. A week before you have interviews, profiles, leading up to the pre-game show, the game, and during the half time of the game they have a music concert, an then the final half and there is all kinds of commercials that sponsors pay millions of dollars to air, and then the post game report.

But here, the creator of the heaven and earth, Jesus Christ, is born in a manger, a feeding trough for animals or some believe a cave. But in either case, not like a king! In fact, the text implies that there was no midwife to assist Mary with the delivery, but Mary, this young girl maybe some 15 years old, did it all herself, even wrapping the child with pieces of cloth to keep him warm.

Think about this for a minute. There were all these people that had gathered in Bethlehem for this census. People going to and fro, here and there and missing this birth, the birth of the Savior!

Today, like back then, many people have no room for Jesus. They are so busy buying this gift, exchanging that gift, doing this and doing that and they miss the best gift that has ever been given, born in a manger, God Almighty who became flesh to dwell among us and save us from our sins!

Now this is a difficult concept for many to believe, that God actually entered into a human body of flesh.  The comic strip by Johnny Hart called B. C. even pokes fun at people that have a hard time believing that God has done this, those who find it difficult to understand this.  In this comic strip from several years ago the man with a wooden leg is sitting under a tree and he is writing down on a tablet the following:

            IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SINCE THE “FALL”

            - WITHOUT EVEN THINKING IT ODD –

            THAT MAN HAS HAD NO TROUBLE AT ALL

            BELIEVING THAT HE CAN BE GOD.

            HOW HE WOULD DO THIS I CANNOT CONCEIVE,

            THO, HE CERTAINLY THINKS THAT HE CAN

            - AND YET, HE CANNOT BRING HIMSELF TO BELIEVE,

            THAT GOD CAN BECOME . . . A MAN.

                                                                                    - Johnny Hart, B. C., 1997

            How sad. God has done all this for them, is wanting them to have that eternal, that abundant life with Him, and they can’t be bothered, they are just too busy! They just can’t believe and yet God has told us before He even became flesh and dwelt among us that He was going to do this for us.

            Now there were a group of people that were not too busy, that took the time to come and see the birth of the new born King and these were the shepherds. Now please understand that shepherds were not the most liked or trusted people but here God announces to them some Good News. Interestingly enough, these shepherds could have been overseeing the Temple flock or those lambs that would be used in the sacrificial offerings and the one they will come to see will be the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world!

            The angel that announces to these shepherds of the birth of this king is Gabriel. And he brought them, “good tidings” or the Gospel message, Good News to these shepherds! And this Good News was not just to the Jews but to all people! You see, we didn’t need an advisor, but a Savior! The word Christ means Messiah and the sign to these shepherds is that they will find this Savior of man, this Messiah wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Not exactly what you would expect!

And just picture in your mind all that is going on, what the angels were witnessing and these angles could not hold back any longer. They just start praising God. They sing out, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Can you imagine what that sounded like! They saw what God had done and they could not hold back and yet, today, look at how so many miss out on this day, they miss out what God has done!

And please understand that this phrase, “good will toward men!” is not correct. It is better translated, “and on earth peace towards men of good will.” You see, God’s peace is not given to those who have good will nor to all, but to those who are recipients of God’s good will, His favor. In fact, Isaiah 48:22 tells us, “‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.’” I think the Scriptures are clear. This peace is for those who come to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. It is interesting that many today are looking for peace and they will never find true peace, everlasting peace apart from Christ. Yes, they may have times where things are going well, where there is no conflict, but that won’t last.

            Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” And we can have peace right now with Jesus and one day this world will be filled with peace, His peace. You see, this peace that permeates the land is coming when Jesus returns, but, like I have said, we can have peace with God through Jesus Christ and then the peace of God will fill our hearts and our lives.

            And notice what these shepherds did. They did not wait around for another sign. They did not have a committee meeting to decide what to do. They did not wait to get off of work. They did not wait but went to find this child in Bethlehem, which could have been some distance away. What a response, they hear the call and they go. A good lesson for us as God calls us to step out in faith for Him.

And to this unwanted people, these outcasts you might say, these people that others did not trust, God did and it was these shepherds who were the first to proclaim the Good News. God can use anyone to spread the Good News, even us! The thing is this, how can you keep inside of you all that God has shown you and given to you? These shepherds couldn’t and I think we must also share with others the Good News of Jesus in a world that doesn’t have much good news anymore!

Think about various times in history and the events that were taking place. Think about the news that was reported about these events. And think about what was happening during the birth of Jesus. Let me show you what I mean. We are told,

Take the year 1809. The international scene was tumultuous. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria; blood was flowing freely. Nobody then cared about babies. But the world was overlooking some terribly significant births.

For example, William Gladstone was born that year. He was destined to become one of England’s finest statesman. That same year, Alfred Tennyson was born to an obscure minister and his wife. The child would one day greatly affect the literary world in a marked manner. On the American continent, Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And not far away in Boston, Edgar Allan Poe began his eventful, albeit tragic, life. It was also in that same year that a physician named Darwin and his wife named their child Charles Robert. And that same year produced the cries of a newborn infant in a rugged log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. The baby’s name? Abraham Lincoln.

If there had been news broadcasts at that time, I'm certain these words would have been heard: “The destiny of the world is being shaped on an Austrian battlefield today.” But history was actually being shaped in the cradles of England and America. Similarly, everyone thought taxation was the big news - when Jesus was born. But a young Jewish woman cradled the biggest news of all: the birth of the Savior.    

- Adapted from Charles Swindoll

Now let’s focus on Luke 2:10-11 which tells us, “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”

Now why would these big, strong shepherds be afraid? What caused them to fear? Obviously one of the reasons is that this angel appeared before them. That would make anyone fearful. But I don’t believe that is the only reason that this angel said that. You see, there was the fear of Roman persecution. There was the fear of just being a shepherd and looked down upon, no one trusting you. There was the fear of knowing you were not good before a holy and righteous God. There were all kinds of fears and that can paralyze a person, it can stop them dead in their tracks. It can debilitate them so much that they do nothing but be fearful.

But now we see this angel loudly proclaim to these shepherds and to the entire world, that they should no longer be afraid. But why should they not be afraid, what has changed in their lives? The angel tells them and us of this good news. Here, in the city of David, in Bethlehem the Savior of the world was born, the Messiah, God Incarnate!

            I like the way that John puts this in I John 4:17-19, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”

            Why don’t we have to fear the judgment of God?  Because Jesus already took what was due us and now we won’t face God’s judgment if we are in Christ. Yes, we deserve it, but we won’t face it.  You see, God’s love for us was so great that He paid in full the penalty for our sins. Thus, there is no need to fear. Jesus said this in John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

            Yes, we will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ or the Bema Seat of Christ, not for judgment, but for rewards. In II Corinthians 5:10 we are told of this, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

And then in I Corinthians 3:12-15 Paul tells us, “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”  You see, if the motive of your heart in serving the Lord was wrong, if you did not serve the Lord faithfully, you will lose your reward but not your salvation!

            Now, for those who are not in Christ, they will appear before the Lord at the Great White Throne Judgment.  They will be judged for their deeds on the earth and be sent into the Lake of Fire for eternity. You see, they are separated from God because they have rejected Jesus and here, in this judgment the degree of punishment will be set forth based on their works. They are going to the Lake of Fire for rejecting Christ, and their works will then be judged and folks, any degree of punishment is going to be bad. 

Of this we are told in Revelation 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.   And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”  Thus, there is fear here, and hopefully a fear before they die so that they would then turn to Jesus and receive Him as their Lord and Savior!

And please understand that our love for God is born out of His love for us. If you are losing sight of His love for you, then you need to spend some time with Him because there is no such thing as a fire without heat just as there is no such thing as God loving us without us loving Him in return if we are saved!

You see, His perfect love, seen in what He has done for us, has cast away all that fear and has replaced it with His perfect peace! That is what Christmas is about. It is about what God has done for us, the perfect gift that He has given to us and all we must do is receive that gift by faith, receive Jesus by faith!

You see, fear comes from the unknown of what might or might not happen.          

For instance, fear might come if someone is holding a gun to your head or from riding on a roller coaster that you have never been on. Either way fear comes from not knowing what is going to happen next. You wouldn’t have fear if you knew what would occur next. That is where faith comes in. God has told us what He has done for us and that love has cast away the fear of the unknown because we know what is in store for us. A life with Jesus!

            And as we can see here in Luke chapter 2, this angel was not pronouncing judgment upon these shepherds or anyone else because they were already condemned. They did not need more bad news but they surely needed some good news. And this good news would bring about great joy in the hearts and lives of those who heard it, those who received it into their lives! And it truly shows us how merciful our God is towards us.

            Think about that for a minute. Sinful, rebellious, wicked man God so loved that instead of bringing His judgment upon them, He sent a Savior that was born, God Incarnate, and He was born to die on the cross of Calvary for our sins. He paid in full the penalty for our sins, He took the wrath that was due all of us and bore it upon Himself and our sins are washed away, we are as white as snow before God because God looks down upon us through Jesus and it is His blood that has washed us clean!

            Folk’s, when you receive that good news into your life you can’t help but rejoice, just as the angel said would take place. Like these shepherds who went from sheer terror to tremendous rejoicing when they heard this good news, that is what it should do in our own lives and that should never get old, it should always bring to us great rejoicing in what God has done for us! You see, this great news overshadows all the bad news that is out there because now we have a different perspective on things, on life, it is seen through Jesus, the one who has given to us new life!

            As I begin to finish our study this morning, let me share this story with you and as you will see, it will drive home the point of what our Lord has done for us, cleansing us sinners as white as snow! You see, think about sin and what it does in people’s lives. How destructive it is. And it is something that we can’t remove by our own efforts. From what I am told, you can immerse a cloth in any other color and the stain can be removed. Once red dye has been thoroughly set in a piece of goods, however, no scientific method is known that can successfully eliminate it without damaging the fabric. Even if the material is rubbed and scrubbed until threadbare, the fibers that are left will still retain their crimson hue.

Sin is like that and in the Scriptures we see sin pictured as being permanent as far as human efforts to remove it are concerned. There is nothing man himself can do to change his evil nature and turn it into the white purity of holiness. God alone has the power to erase the terrible stain of our sin in our lives as this story illustrates for us. We are told,

            A father and his young son were viewing a parade in London, England.  Because of the chilling wind, they stepped inside a small store and watched through the window.  In the course of time a regiment of British troops marched by, and the man exclaimed, “My, aren’t those Redcoats pretty!”  But the little boy replied, “They aren’t red, they are white.  If you don’t believe me, just squat down here and look.”  Just to prove the little fellow was wrong, his Daddy got down on his knees and looked out the window. To his amazement the coats were not red; they looked white.

            What had happened was this. There was a red band of glass around the storefront window, and at the height that the boy was looking out he was viewing the parade through a red band of glass.  When you look at a red object through a red piece of glass, the red object loses its red color to your eyes.  It appears white.

            The same thing is true in salvation. When God looks at you through the red blood of Jesus your scarlet sins appear white. This is blood atonement.

- Source Unknown

            It is as the Lord said in Isaiah 1:18, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.’”  That is what God has done for us. That is what we are celebrating, the forgiveness of our sins as our Savior was born into this world to die for our sins!

            If you don’t have this peace of God, if you are fearful then here is the greatest gift you will ever receive, given to you by God Himself, Jesus! All you need to do is come before Him and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and be Lord and Savior of your life. You see, He has done the work, now all you must do is receive that gift of eternal life by faith and you can have the peace of God in your life because you have made peace with Him through Jesus. You too can rejoice that the fear of life, the fear of death has been removed.

            If you have received the gift of life, this gift of salvation, don’t forget to thank Him for what He has done. Don’t become complacent in the work that God has done for us but let us rejoice in this gift and let others see the gift we have that they would desire to have it. May you clearly see that this Child born to Mary in the manager was indeed God Incarnate, miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit and yet born naturally to a woman in Israel, Mary! And He was not only born but He lived a sinless life, a perfect life and died as a perfect sacrifice so that all who would believe in Him might have eternal life. That truly is good news in this world filled with bad news. It is the best news for sinful man and as you come to Him the fear is replaced with rejoicing in what God has done!  May you and your family be blessed this Christmas and may you grow in the grace and love of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!