Faith – The Peace of Things on Earth

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Introduction

Luke 2-3
Merry Christmas, Church. Merry Christmas kids! It’s so good to see you all this morning.
If you’ve been with us the last couple of weeks, you know we’ve been talking about this command issued three times in the Christmas Story: do not fear.
The command was given to Mary. It was given to Joseph and it was given the shepherds.
We noticed that every time the command was given to not fear a reason to not fear was given with it.
We built on that last week. We said in order for those reasons to be effective in reducing fear, those reasons have to believed. You must have faith in the reasons presented. So Last week we looked at the fact that faith in the promises of God and fearless living are closely connected.
But we never really stopped to ask the question, “Why were they afraid? What were the characters in the Christmas afraid of?” Here’s the answer: they were afraid of God! Why were they afraid of God? Well, it’s not that hard to imagine it.
You see the characters in the Christmas story were much like us. They loved God. They worshiped God. They had a relationship with God of sorts. But, in a very real sense, God was distant. He was far off. I am here in flesh and blood and God is out there somewhere.
But in the Christmas story all of the sudden, God is with us. All of the sudden, Immanuel. All of the sudden, he’s not far off. He shatters the peace and his presence is powerful and immediate. Somehow God takes on flesh and bone. The fear in the Christmas story is a fear of God because suddenly he was near.
So we are going to look this morning at the shepherds because here’s an example of some men who truly trembled in fear of the Lord. They hit the dirt. But ironically, it was their experience of great fear that allowed them to not fear. It was the fear of Jesus as Lord that gave them peace with God.
So let’s read this very familiar story. Luke 2 begins with the account of the census issues by Quirinius. We are told of the birth of Jesus happened in Bethlehem. And then the narrative continues like this:

Now when you read that verse, it’s so tranquil. I think of flickering candle lights and nativity scenes. I think of Christmas pageants and cute kids in bathrobes. I think of Charlie Brown. I mean it’s such a peaceful setting. It’s nostalgic.
But this is not a passage about tranquility. This is a passage about terror. Have you ever been really afraid? Have you ever thought you were about to die. I’ve had several moments in my life when my life flashed before my eyes. I’m tempted to tell you a story here, but my dad attends these services and I don’t want to get in trouble. If you’ve had an experience like that you think to yourself, "This is it. I’m a goner. There’s no escape from this situation. That’s the sort of thing that’s going on here. They are just expecting to get squashed like a bug. This is how it’s all going to end.
Now pause this event. Rewind things 10 second before this bone-rattling fear seizes them. What would you see? It is all contained here in a single word. It was NIGHT. Here the shepherds are, watching their flocks by NIGHT. It’s pitch black. There is no electric lights. It’s NIGHT. It’s DARK.
Now what is darkness? Darkness is not actually a thing. Let me give you some examples of what I mean by this.

The vacuum of deep space is not a thing. A vacuum is just the absence of air. So a vacuum is just nothingness.
Neither is Cold a thing. Cold is simply the absence of Heat. Cold is just what happens when you take away the heat.
And in the exact same way, darkness is not a thing. Darkness is just the absence of light. Darkness is what you are left with when you take away light.

The text begins that these shepherds were living in DARKNESS. Physically, of course they were in the dark. But as we are going to see, over and over again, the Bible uses this as a metaphor for our spiritual condition.
Spiritually speaking, without the Lord, we are living in the dark. Darkness is frigid, miserable and chilling because it’s just the absence of all good things. It’s the absence of light and the subsequent warmth that comes from it. Spiritually speaking, without the Lord, we are living in darkness. We grope in darkness looking for something to give us bearings.
Now watch this narrative unfold. Watch. The vaccuum of dark, cold spiritual emptiness is flooded with LIGHT. Let’s watch this explosion happen. Here the shepherds were, MINDING THEIR OWN BUSINESS.

The reason the shepherds go from total tranquility to abject terror, the reason they go from chewing on a grass in boredom to peeing their pants in fear is because of this soul-penetrating change from darkness into light.
There’s this revelation from the heavens. Whenever God appears, it’s always associated with light. Paul on his way to Damascus was struck down and blinded by a great light when Jesus met him. Moses when he came down from Sinai was glowing because of his exposure to such brilliant light.
So the shepherds go from darkness into light. That seems like great news. Who wouldn’t want that? But going into the light isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes darkness can be a blessing. I remember when my kids were little, I used to joke with them. “Hey, watch me do rapid quick clean of our house. Watch me clean the house in one second.” And then I’d turn off the light. Presto. You can’t see . And that’s when the dad jokes began. And I’ve been on a roll ever since. I’ve got an entire dadabase of them. So darkness hides the filth.
Light is bad news to people with filthy homes. If you want to become horrified at just how dirty your house really is, break out a 10,000 lumen flashlight and shine it on a surface you thought was clean. Suddenly you will see how much grime and filth was hidden by poor lighting.
The paradox of light is that it both solves and creates a problem at the same time. It solves the problem of not being able to see. Oh, that’s wonderful. I’ve been groping in the darkness for years. I’ve wanted nothing more than to be able to see. Hallelujah, problem solved, I can see!
But the seeing, itself, creates a problem. In fact the problem it creates is far worse than the problem it solves. Going from darkness into light, biblically speaking is going from the frying pan into the fire.
Spiritually, speaking, what the light reveals is terrifying. The old KJV says, And an angel of the Lord appeared and they were SORE AFRAID. I love that translation. They were so afraid it hurt. It makes me think of the emotion of fear as a muscle that was contracting so violently that afterwards they were just sore.
The way it reads in the Greek is interesting. The Greek word for fear is phobos. We get our English word phobia from that. And this passage in the original Greek literally says they were phobeo phobos. They weren’t just phobos; they were phobeo phobos. Literally it says, “When the glory of the Lord came upon them, they feared with a great fear.”
The glory light of Christmas is not soothing; it’s startling because of what it REVEALS. It’s terrifying. What are men always scared of when God appears? They are scared of judgment. And they should be. The light reveals their sin. They feel naked. They feel exposed.
Light has never reached that part of their life. They thought they had that stuff on lock down. They thought it was hidden and they got away with it. Sin is always done in the dark. In secret.

Someone who is spending money the way they shouldn’t tries to make the paper trail disappear. They purchase in cash. They throw away the receipt. They lie. They are trying to find cover in darkness.
Someone who is looking at sinful internet content they do it at a time when nobody is around. Where do they do their looking? In a place where nobody else can see. They delete their history. They cover their tracks so that what is done in the dark cannot be brought out into the light. Darkness is a sinners friend.

But then Jesus Christ comes along and says, “I am the light of the world.” Imagine all the sin you’ve ever done, brought out into the full exposure of the light of the flawless beauty of Jesus Christ. Imagine having to watch a video of your most shameful failures sitting next to Jesus.
Fear is always man’s response when he is confronted with the light of God’s presence. Always. Think about the Bibles examples

Isaiah. Here he has a vision of Christ in the temple. Immediately he is conscious of moral inferiority. Immediately. And he said: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts! I’m going to be consumed. That’s always man’s problem when the glory of God appears.

When Job got near God he said, “I despise myself. I see myself, and I repent in dust and ashes.”
When Peter got near Jesus, he said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.”

That’s why these shepherds shake with fear. The angel, of course, knows that what’s going on in their minds and hearts and so his first words are words of comfort. Don’t fear, your not dying of judgment.
The angel is no dummy. He’s seen this a thousand times. Every time mortal men get in contact with the divine, every time the light falls, they tremble like dead men. It happened with Isaiah, Moses, Ezekiel, Paul. These humans….sheesh. They can’t stay on their feet.
The point in the Christmas passage here shows us that human beings live in fear of a near God. And if you don’t feel it now, well, just wait until he appears. Wait for your immanuel event. You’ll be terrified. Just wait till you get close to God, the fear that has always been there becomes revealed.
Imagine an old bridge. That bridge might have all sorts of cracks and stress fractures. And cars drive across it all day long and there’s no problem. But then along comes a huge semi loaded down with 80 pound bags of concrete. And that semi drives across and suddenly the bridge explodes into pieces. The weakness was always; it wasn’t exposed until the pressure was applied.
In the same way, the Bible says we all live in fear of God. It’s only when we get near to God and near to his truth that the fear is revealed.
But we don’t have to be afraid. There’s a way to change fear into peace. The angel sees their condition and says, “Fear not.” And then he gives the reason not to fear.

I have something to show you that will cause you to not fear. He says, “Behold! Which means,”Look at this!" He’s grabbing our attention. Don’t fear, look at this.
I bring you good tidings of great joy. You want to know what that phrase good tidings means in the original languages? It’s the Greek word euangelion. It’s the word gospel. Don’t be afraid because I’m bringing you the gospel.
The angel says, "I know you’re afraid. All human beings are afraid when they get into the light of God’s truth. Of course. But you don’t have to be afraid if you behold what I’m about to tell you, if you look at the truth I’m about to give you. There’s a gospel of joy that can rescue you from the terror you are experiencing.
That’s the entire point of the Christmas story. But how can that be? How can we have peace with God when the very presence of God is reveals our sin in all its shameful 4k detail? How can the mortifying, treachery of our sin be openly replayed in the presence of the holy God of the universe, and yet we can exist in that light without fear. How is that possible?
What, pray tell, is it that we need to behold? What is the thing we need to look at? What is the good news in the face of our terror?

Listen, that’s the news. A SAVIOR is born who is Christ the Lord. The Savior SAVES us from that fear. How does he do that?
Listen, do you know where the word fear first occurs in the Bible? It’s in the garden with Adam and Eve. It’s in association with the first sin.
When you read the story of Adam and Eve in the garden, it’s the only example we have of humans walking with God in the brilliant light of his glory and being totally and completely at peace. They have no fear. They have ZERO anxiety. They are perfectly relaxed. It’s perfectly normal. It’s just bliss and joy to stand in the presence of this divine supernova of white hot, glory. Just completely relaxed. They are just soaking it in like a beautiful sunset.
We are told they walked with God in the cool of the day. Just going on a stroll with the creator of all things like it’s not big deal. Being with God was the thing they wanted most because they just loved staring at his beautiful light. It’s the only example in the Bible we have of this.
But then we are told that sin enters. Rather than obey God’s path for joy, they decided a path for themselves. On that day, when they decided to do that, everything changed. Everything.
That next day, when the glory of God came upon them, when the light approached them, like it did every other day, guess what? They were SORE AFRAID. They hit the dirt. They ran. They jumped in the bushes to hide. They wanted darkness.
Adam, where are you? Adam, like an innocent child says, “I’m hiding from you.” Why? Why are you hiding from me? What was his answer? I’m afraid. I’m SORE afraid.
I have shame. I can’t let you know what I’ve done. I’m too ashamed. I’m too scared. I’m terrified. I’m embarrassed. I’m mortified. I’m shivering with terror at thought of you knowing what I’ve done. I cannot come into the light.
He hides his nakedness. He feels vulnerable, and he jumps it in the bushes. He is SORE AFRAID.
And it’s been that way from then until now. That’s why we are all so filled with fear. That’s why we are hiding. That’s why we are wrapping ourselves up with things that try to make us feel safe.

We want great careers so people will look at our accomplishments and accept us based on what they SEE.

We want to have impresses houses, cars, family, money so that we can be accepted based on what they SEE.
We want people to look at how sweet we are, how kind we are to others, how moral and loving we are and we want to be accepted based on our external presentations of kindness.
We want to look beautiful on the outside so we can be accepted based on what they SEE

We want so badly to be SEEN and accepted. That’s what we wrap ourselves in. These are just bushes and fig leaves we are using to cover our nakedness. The problem is, and we know it, we are naked. There’s shame. There’s so much of our hearts that are hidden.
We are terrified of dragging that stuff into the light. No not that. Put that stuff on lock down. If that gets out, then for sure, I won’t be accepted.
And that’s why God is so terrifying. He is the light. Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed.
Romans 2

What’s your secret. What’s the thing that nobody knows and you would die 10,000 deaths for it to be known. That’s why, beneath the surface for all of us, there is a lot of anxiety. There’s anxiety that we will lose our fig leaves and then we will discovered for who we really are and we will be rejected.
You want to know what this fear is called? In psychology, this fear is called the imposter syndrome. It’s the fear that even though you look competent, you really aren’t and you are deathly afraid somebody is going to find you out.

When will somebody find out you really aren’t any good at this?
When will somebody look inside and see what you’re really like?
I’ve got to keep performing to keep up the illusion.
Some of us are afraid to get close to people because we’re afraid, "If they knew what I was really like, then I’m going to be rejected. I’m so tired of rejection, I can’t handle it. Keep people at an arms distance.

It’s fig leaves.
The Good News
But there’s a better way. We don’t have to actually be afraid. There’s a way for all that to come out into the light and not be afraid. Christmas is the reason we don’t have to fear anymore. Why? I bring you good news of great joy, today in the city of David a Savior is born who is Christ the Lord.
A Savior is here to reveal what is in the darkness and then save you from the shame of what that light reveals.
God as Savior wants to restore that GARDEN RELATIONSHIP. He wants to save you so you can once again be restored back into walking in the cool of the day, totally relaxed, just enjoying God without fear. And the only way to do that is to remove the guilt. To remove the shame. To wash away your sins. To remove them as far as the east is from the west. He doesn’t turn off the light. He turns on all the lights and says, let me enter in and clean this up.
You see until that happens you can never be free of fear. Let me give you an analogy. Let’s say you get a bill in the mail for a credit card you own. And that credit is maxed out. And you have no money to pay it. What can you do about that problem?
Well, one of the things you could do is just tear up the bill. That kind of feels like you are making it go away. You don’t have to look at it anymore. But deep down you know it’s there. You know there’s a debt that needs to be paid. You know that tearing it up is just kicking the can down the road. You know that by tearing that up, sure you’ve bought yourself some time, but the interest is growing.
You see, by hiding our sin and living in darkness we can never be at peace. Because you are always wondering, “What’s going to happen when people find out who I really am.” We just tearing up bills.
In order to have peace with God and peace with man, we have to pay bill. We have to reconcile the debt. Payment needs to be made. And that is what Jesus Christ, the Son of God has done for us. We didn’t have the money to pay, otherwise we would have. But we have no way to pay. But Jesus did. But believe me, it was costly. In order to pay our debt he had to live a perfect life and die a death for us, in our place, taking the punishment we deserved, doing the good deeds we needed to do, so that if we receive him as our Savior, all of his work would be credited to us, all of his work is transferred to us, and God accepts us for his sake.
You want to know what a Savior does. He doesn’t ignore what the light reveals. He fixes it. He cleans it. He pays off the spiritual credit card debt at the cost of his own life. We are all afraid of rejection; we are afraid somebody will look inside and see what’s really there and we will no longer be loved. We are so used to this experience. But listen, friend, there’s some really good Christmas news here. God has already looked down and seen your deepest secrets and way more. You think you’ve seen the worst. You haven’t seen anything yet. He knows not only all you have done but all you will do. And you know what? He says, “I see that. I see it in all it’s horror. I’m rolling my sleeves up to fix it. I’m going to give my life so you can have life. So that you can be free of that guilt. So that we can walk in the garden again.”
I want you to walk in the garden with me again.
The terror of the Lord leads these shepherd to worship in awe of the Lord - to worship the Savior who is the Lord. We know that we ought to be consumed and then we watch as he is consumed in our place and we fall on our faces in worship. It causes us to explode in worship.
2 Corinthians 4

To know that we can be seen and loved by God causes us to worship him. It causes us to glorify him! We sing with the angels, glory to God in the highest. What does it mean to glorify God?
Think about glorious music. What is glorious music like? Glorious music is the kind of music that makes your soul boil over. Do you know what I’m saying? You can’t really tell somebody else. You can’t walk down a street and say, “Here, let me explain to you why this music is so great.” It doesn’t seem to come, does it?" Why because it’s too large to be contained in mere words. Because that glorious thing is something that overflows the boundaries of words. It’s above. It’s beyond. To interact with the glory of God is to experience his immeasurable weight and significance.
God has seen it all, and he says, “If you receive my Son as your Savior and Lord, you are forgiven. I love you and I accept you.”
Can we all just stop and behold the message: Jesus Christ is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
They were sore afraid, and we’re sore with our afraid, but the angel says, “Fear not. Get up. For, behold, the gospel of joy.” Let’s pray.