"Four "Fear Not's" Relating to CHRIST's Birth"

 

Luke 1:30-37 "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with GOD. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a SON, and shalt call HIS name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the SON of the HIGHEST; and the LORD GOD shall give unto HIM the throne of HIS father David: and HE shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of HIS kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man ? And the angel answered and said unto her, The HOLY GHOST shall come upon thee, and the power of the HIGHEST shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy THING which shall be born of thee shall be called the SON of GOD. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with GOD nothing shall be impossible."

     Many times, in the Bible GOD told HIS people to "fear not," desiring their heart to be released from unnecessary worry and fear. In the accounts of the birth of CHRIST we find four highly instructive "fear not's":

(1) The "fear not" of answered prayer (Zacharias -- Luke 1:13-14), "Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son" (v.13). His wife was barren, and they were too old to have children. Zacharias had prayed for a son, GOD miraculously answered, and this son would be the forerunner of the MESSIAH.

(2) The "fear not" of immediate obedience (Joseph -- Matthew 1:20,24). "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife" (Matthew 1:20). Joseph had serious apprehensions. He was engaged to be married but discovered that Mary was pregnant. We can only imagine what thoughts went through his mind. Yet GOD calmed his fears and told him to take Mary as his wife. Joseph quickly obeyed (Matthew 1:24).

(3) The "fear not" of the humanly impossible (Mary -- Luke 1:25-33). "Fear not, Mary (v.30). GOD's angel informed Mary that the impossible would take place: She would bring forth a SON totally apart from any human father. Such a pregnancy would arouse huge suspicions and accusations, but Mary was not to fear.

(4) The "fear not" of CHRIST's salvation (Shepherds -- Luke 2:10-11 pictured above). "Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy" (v.10). The shepherds were terrified because the peaceful nighttime sky suddenly burst forth with brilliant light and spectacular glory, as if some cataclysmic event were about to happen. GOD's angel quickly reassured them that they were about to witness the MESSIAH's birth ! GWZ

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

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