Fear Not! by Ed Pruitt

Luke 2:1-15

Fear Not
Sunday A.M. December 23, 2001
Pastor Ed Pruitt
Amarillo Church of God


WHY JESUS IS BETTER THAN SANTA CLAUS

Santa lives at the North Pole ...
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh ...
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year ...
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies ...
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited ...
JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters
your heart when invited.

You have to wait in line to see Santa ...
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap ...
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn’t know your name, all he can say is
Hi little boy or girl, what’s your name?" ...

JESUS knew our name before we were born.
Not only does He know our name,
He knows our address too.

He knows our history and future and
He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly ...
JESUS has a heart full of love

All Santa can offer is HO, HO, HO.

JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry" ...

JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa’s little helpers make toys ...

JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs
broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but ...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree ...
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.... The cross.

We need to put Christ back in CHRISTmas, Jesus is still
the reason for the season.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Luke 2:1-15
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

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.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

I am sure that you would agree with me this morning that if I would say that the birth of Christ is the gladdest event of history.

I repeat that, the birth of Christ is the gladdest, most joyful event of history.

Angels had many times if you read back through the scripture, angels had many times bought messages from God to man, but never such good news as they bought on this occasion.

I want to study verse 10 this morning for a text and maybe looking at it in just a little different way.

And the angels said unto them Fear Not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

I know that the thought is simple but studying this week how we got hooked right on that thought.

What was the fear that was to be removed?

Why could the angels say that these tidings, this message that were bring you will take away fear?

What fear will be removed?

And what joy will take it’s place?

I break into it quickly this morning by saying first of all the fear that was to be removed, was the fear that’s caused by SIN!

Now you may say that this scripture doesn’t mean that, but just stay with me just a little bit.

Fear Not was the message, and what a message it was, to a people that were very fearful.

And I might say that it’s a message yet today to a world out here that’s very fearful.
Over many more things than I am able to go into this morning.

The fear, this message was telling us, was that through this great salvation God was perfecting for mankind by sending His son that fear would be removed!

And I say the fear that was to be removed, was the fear that’s caused by SIN!

You quickly go back with me, I’ll not deal in too much history, but God created man in His own image.

AMAN, it was without SIN that Adam came forth from the hands of his maker.

But if we look at the story quickly, being tempted he fell and we take a long jump to Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

And many people have wondered why, all mankind sin, I tell you quickly, Jesus taught in John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Every little child that is born into the world my friend, is born in the weakness of the flesh.

They do not have strength and ability and when I say in the flesh I am using a biblical expression.

Paul talked in the Roman letter, about being in the flesh and in the Spirit, he talked about unregenerate man living in the flesh.

And he talked regenerate man not being in the flesh but in the Spirit.

Until man is regenerated he is in the flesh biblical speaking and in the flesh he is too weak, he is without strength to raise up against sin!

And every child that comes to the age of accountability my friend is thrown, taken down by SIN!

Why?
He doesn’t have sufficient in himself in the flesh to stand against SIN!

So Paul could say biblically, all men have sinned and come short of the glory of GOD.

My friend there could be much said of the effects of sin somebody said, don’t you believe in the effects from the fall.

I believe in many effects from the fall.

That first fall affected the whole human race in lots of ways.

One of the ways that we want to talk about this morning is the human family, my friend, gradually forgot the true God!

All you have to do is to start in Genesis and read through they soon forgot the true God.

Gentile religions begin to spring up of every kind.

In various shapes and forms they came into existence and I want to say to you, AMAN I an not preaching negative this morning.

I want to preach positive this morning, but friend be moved in the way that you need to be moved.

Many of those Gentile religions and customs is being taught right here in Amarillo Texas.

One of them is the Christmas Tree read Jeremiah the 10th chapter
and learn not the way of the heathen, heathens who had no idea about a tree God.

They bought trees in and nailed them down to the floor put gold and silver on them and worshipped then as God.
Somebody said don’t you believe in the evergreen tree, I sure do!

Do you know what the evergreen tree is, Psalms the first chapter, He that loves the Lord and meditates in his law he will be like a tree planted by the water, and his leaves will never wither.

Over in Jeremiah he that puts his trust in the Lord his leaves will be evergreen!

Nowhere in the word of God did God ever teach his people to put up a Christmas tree as a symbol of God, that was a heathen custom.

Gentile religions sprung forth with Gods of many kind, and I want to say our world has never got over it yet.

My friend there’s too many that even claim to be Christians that are following the customs and worshipping according to the darkness of gentile religion.

AMAN, my friend when you follow the word of God and see the many, many Gods.

And I say my friends that there is a multiplicity of Gods in the minds of men yet today.

For the Gentile religion with the various shapes and forms came into existence the creature was worshipped more than the creator.

And as the world moved on Sin and all it’s horrors, and cast it’s blight upon the mind, soul, and body of Gods noblest creature mankind.

And to show the wide spread of Sin even though God selected Abraham’s children as a people, my friend he set these people apart as a separate people His own peculiar nation.

But sin, I want you to get it.

Sin and the powers of evil were so strong that even this people, the literal Jews, the children of Abraham, Gods own peculiar nation,
Yet these people under the curse of Sin even though my friend, the revelation of the true God, (now get the picture this morning)

They had a revelation of the true God!

In the midst of all Gentile religions.

They had a revelation of the true God!

And a revelation of His word.

Yet the prophet Isaiah said, I want you to turn with me to Isaiah 65:2 with all of that I want you to see the power of Sin.

Somebody said, that was way back there, well I will show you how it’s working the same today, in Isaiah 65:2

These people were God’s people they had a revelation of the true God.

They understood that there was one God Jehovah God, only one true God.

God through the providence and through the seer’s had given understanding a revelation of His word.

He let them understand to a degree, His will but what did they do God’s own people Isaiah 65:2

I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts.

I want you to see this morning my friend, that it takes something more than a knowledge, of the true God!

We need to know who the true God is!

Some of you that are setting here this morning, you know that there is only true God, Jehovah God.

Not discounting the thought right now of three persons in the God Head, there’s one true God if you please.

You know that this morning.

You have received a revelation of God’s word, you are not in darkness.

You know what you need to do, but all of the time you are departing from the true God!

What is it?

The power of SIN working in the hearts of men and women.

Friend’s it takes something more than a knowledge, oh yes it does, so these very people God said I spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious people, what makes people a rebellious people?

SIN in the Heart!!!

What causes you to raise up against the Word of God, against the Pastor?

SIN in your heart, whether you are a Sunday School Teacher or a Preacher there Sin in your Heart when you rebel against God!

The curse of SIN!

Friend I am not preaching history right here I say the same is true today, as we come on up to our text God gave the law according to Paul.

God gave the laws as a schoolmaster through it.

Israel, my friend, through it Israel learned and felt the great contrast between what the law demanded and what they were able to do.

That’s what the law was given for.
To show you what God demanded and then see how weak you are towards carrying it out.

Friend I am here to tell you this morning were living in a world where the real Spirit and power of God have been left out of the thing!

People are going to catechism classes attending Sunday School making a lot of religious moves.

But when they look here and see what God requires and then look here and see how weak they are, the next move is to try and lower the standard and bring it down where a man can live!
I am here to tell you, that’s not the need!

God perfected a plan to bring you up where the book is!

Where you can live as the book declares, but that law was a school master!

It showed them the great contrast, they felt it my friend, the great contrast, between what God demanded and what they were able to do.

You can read over and over what David, a man after God’s own Heart!

Again and again he petitioned the merciful God to pardon his SIN and blot out his manifold transgressions.

I am going to go back to let you get a picture of the terrible darkness that man lived in!

My friend when we come up to our text this morning into this night of fear that rested on the whole earth, the all merciful God caused the stars a prophetic promise to send there light!

I want you to see how God began to move!

There was a preparation made!

Oh if we would just stop this morning and look a little bit at the wisdom of God and the preparation that was made over years untold before Christ was born in a manger.

God does all things well.

So He began my friend to stay up, prophecies in the Old Testament that the Jews had studied, studied, studied he began to re echo them.

They began to have force to them and they began to study them to the degree that they began to look for something to happen.

God didn’t stop with the Jews.

He reached out into the Gentile world and in the heart of the Gentile was aroused a deep desire and a deep Holy anticipation, of the time, of peace, and new land.

God stood up alone in the heart of man, to look for someone, to look for a divine one who would come and redeem the world from the condition it was in.

But I am sad to say this morning, that many even in the realms of religion, that haven’t found the truth of God’s Word are still looking for that divine man to come and help our circumstance!

Where did they get that stir?

Friend, God has put the stir in the heart of man!

He put it in the Gentile, somebody said are you sure?

Yes, He put it in the Gentile and stirred their hearts!

In Israel also the voice of the prophet resounded in clearness, that a child was to be born, a son was to be given.

In Numbers 24:17 there you read, A star shall come out of Jacob.

Micah 5:2-5
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.

3 The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the time when the woman in labor gives birth to her son. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land.

4 And he will stand to lead his flock with the LORD’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored all around the world.

5 And he will be the source of our peace.
When the Assyrians invade our land and break through our defenses, we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us, eight princes to lead us.

Somebody said do you think they studied those prophets?

Oh yes my friends, they studied those prophets and in just a few years, a short time before the Son was born those prophecies came alive again and they studied them as never before!

Some one might say,

How do you know that they studied them?

Because when the event took place they say, this is that which we studied about!

That what we have been studying the in Word of God!

Just as sure as we are here God stirred up the Gentile’s Heart’s, men who were what we call heathen.

There hearts were stirred up like never before.

Somebody said how do you know?
Friends, Wise Men that were astronomers, what were they spending their time doing?

Looking for His Star!

They had heard that a Star would appear when this Son was born and when this child was given, and they were out there, watching looking for the star!

Thank God, the night came in the midst!

Oh I want you to see that this wasn’t just some happening that just took place accidentally, but it is in the great plan of God.

He not only prepared the plan, He prepared man for the plan.

And He is doing the same thing today!

If we could only realize that, just as sure as were are here.

I say thank God, when there longings and promise’s had reached the full stage of development.

When the pious among the Gentile even the Wise Men from the East, were looking for His Star.

My friend, it was to announce the birth of the King!

I want to show you everyone of them, whose the silent ones?

Well Old Simian, and his wife Anna, the Holy Ghost let him into the temple everyday, and somebody said what are you here for?

Were waiting for the consolation of Israel, now who are they talking about?

They are talking about the baby Jesus, any day He is going to be brought in here and were waiting for the consolation of Israel.

We didn’t come up for the Temple today to give an old sacrifice, we didn’t come up to go through a form, what are you doing here Simian?

I am waiting for the consolation of Israel.

The time is here I feel down inside.

We could go right on my friend and deal how God dealt with man and prepared man.

Then my friend when the hour came the star appeared.

The babe was born, the time came the fullness of time, it’s called in the scripture, which was prepared by God, for the salvation of men, and had prepared men to be ready to receive it.

Friend we can quickly read, when the fullness of time came and it wouldn’t mean much to us, when my friend if we will stop and take a quick look at it this morning.

What a time it was, after darkness had covered the Earth for over 4000 thousand years, darkness over the Earth and gross darkness over the people.

Let me stop for a second, I want that to sink in.

Friend when that moment came, when that star appeared to the Wise Men the darkness was about to be rolled away!

It was a great event because the ways had parted, there peace with God, was just about to be opened up to mankind.

It was a great event because the head of Satan was about to get his head bruised!

God had said 4000 thousand years before, the seed of the woman will bruise the serpents head, untold years went by, but the hour had come for the devil to get his head bruised!

That devil that had, had his way and reigned over mankind and was the head of principalities and powers to that extent, it was time for him to get his head bruised!

The seed of the women had moved in, and Satan would get his head bruised, liberty was about to be proclaimed to the captives!

Men and women who had been captivated by the devil and the power of sin, bound and fastened with the devil’s armor, with the hazards of life and the unpleasant conditions that the devil had tied them up in.

Thank God it was the time for the good news to be declared, the captive’s can be set free!

On and on we could go it was a time of recovering of sight to the blind!

Get this now, salvation was no longer to be seen through types and figures, away with the trees, away with the figures, away with the types, AMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish that I had a big voice, come on, come on come on, this is one reason that I raise right up on my haunches against millennium teachings, why?

They want to take me from the reality, back to an old temple, which was a type of the church of the living God, the New Testament temple they want to take me back to old animal sacrifices that was just a type of the real sacrifice that’s been given through Jesus Christ!

I’ll have nothing to do with types, shadows of reality, don’t call me your house and tell me that this is a type of Jesus, today is the day to throw the types away get a reality through Jesus Christ.

False religion has capitalized on types and forms and ceremonies.

That which the world calls a Christmas Spirit would die, if it wasn’t for the merchants drumming it up.

Many of them who don’t believe in the Living Christ, wouldn’t serve Him for nothing, are cashing in on, moving on a tender spot in your Heart and cashing in, I thank God for truth this morning.

I have heard people say that they are in such a tight, that is enough to give you a nervous breakdown and pull out your hair,
I don’t feel a bit of that!

This false spirit that puts you in bondage, make you feel that you have got to give somebody, everybody that you love, you have got to give them something!

Well you need to give them something, but it‘s not something wrapped up in a package, with tinsel on it.

No were in reality, twist the thing, didn’t the Wise Men bring gifts to the King?

The devil has twisted that and now has everybody giving somebody else something.

Tat, tat, tat, it’s always been a custom, when a King is there, to give Him a present.

That’s always been a custom.

The Wise Men didn’t give each other gift’s!

They brought a gift to the King, a new King had been born,
and they MEARLY followed the custom of the Gentile’s, a King has been born and we must go and give Him our gift’s because we appreciate Him!

All this hull-a-ballu going on, Christmas trees our world says, oh yes Jesus we will give you your place, but you have got to take it right along side of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.

You don’t know what that is.

It is the symbol of a drunk, Red nose, he was drunk, but another reindeer couldn’t go but even though he was drunk he would pull Santa’s sleigh.

And so we got a drunk reindeer in the nativity scene, standing right beside the baby Jesus.

Jesus you can come into our world, but you have got to take your place right along side all of these other Pagan customs!

Friend if I would let the spirit of the age move me.

I love the Christmas tree, I think that they are nice to look at but what do they have to do with the birth of Christ?

Nothing at all!

The Christmas tree is beautiful to look at but not to worship.

People are built up to feel its joyous, its wonderful, and they claim its to worship the birth of Christ.

But the work of Christ suffers through Christmas.

The word Christmas had its beginning with a Roman Catholic mass, in their heathenism they worshipped Saul the sun god.

And on the 25th of December, they deceived the people, they changed it to from a worship of Saul the sun god, to a worship of Jesus the Son of God.

God didn’t tell you what day His Son was born.

If you study the bible deeply you will see we can’t tell you what day.

God didn’t want us to know what day.

He didn’t want you to worship his birthday!

Why?

His birth without His death and resurrection means nothing!

He gives us a day to worship His resurrection.

Amen, when that warning broke thank, God salvation was no longer to be seen through types and figures!

But thank God it was going to be seen openly and face to face!

I say this morning if that wasn’t good tidings, then there ain’t never been anything delivered that was good tidings!

We bring you good tidings, great tidings, wonderful tidings, the best message this world has ever had, a savior is born!

The darkness has been driven away.

Salvation is not in forms and ceremonies, but you can really have Jesus Christ in your own heart and life thru the Spirit of God.

Good tidings that very hour my friends!

It was that God sent His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in him might not perish, but have ever lasting life.

When was the hour my friend when the Son of God so loved you and me that He gave up His Majesty on high took upon His Self the form of a man first of all that he might live as men live!

And then my friend as a man that bear the strips and endure the punishment and to reconcile us to God and make us his own heritage.

Let’s look in the first chapter of Luke, and lets begin the 67th verse.

A very familiar scripture but here my friend as the Spirit of God, Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost and God begun to use him as a mouth piece to speak for us some beautiful truths.
Oh we rejoice in this time I say again we don’t know when Christ was born!

But I say this, if the world wants it to be the time, I am ready to lift up Jesus Christ, I’m ready to tell the greatness of his birth and what God has done for us through Jesus Christ!

Luke 1:67-74
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

Now listen closely,

74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

This is something new.

Israel never served god without fear.

But the day, thank God had come when God sent His only Son!
God visited this earth, and when God visited, thank God He made a change.

Now He’s granted unto us, somebody said I can’t live that way He didn’t say you live by grunt its a grant.

To many trying to live by a grunt now.

I can’t do it, you don’t make it by a grunt, it’s a grant, anybody can get in the right shape and receive a grant!

Salvation is a grant.
By grace through favor you say the not of yourself its the gift of God!

That He would grant unto us, that we been delivered out of the hand of our enemy might serve him!

And in the hand there is the power of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life!

Now verse 74 let’s us know this morning church, what God sent His Son for basically that we could serve God.

That we might serve him.

So the basic reason that God sent His Son to prefect the great salvation and to change us that we might serve Him.
Somebody said serve him how?

Let me mention 3 things serve him fearlessly fear not is the message a change has been made that we might be able to serve him fearlessly with out fear God is to be served not as a tyrant but as a father.

See Jesus came teaching, that’s His first teaching, and that’s why the Jews if you’ll go back and study they said this is strange.

Why?

Brother, they looked at God, as they had been taught and there understanding of God was, God is law and His action is, God is a judge but here comes the Son teaching.

I come to reveal the Father to you.

Amen, that God, that you feel is a law and a tyrant He wants to be your Father.
God is love, and they say this is strange.

Amen, all they’d hear was prophets and priest that said THOU shalt THOU shalt they worked under the crack of the whip?

Jesus said, I come to reveal the Father.

I say its a very simple fact and you can see it in the Word of God, that men did not really know what God was like till Jesus came?

This is why we got people wrapped up in the throw of Roman Catholicism!

The bible says, it’s full of darkness!

There is not light in it!

Amen, and they sent a man up that says He’s God and they worship him as God.

I said until Jesus comes into your heart and life, you don’t know what God is really like!

Neither are you able to truly worship him as Jesus taught us in John the 4th chapter!

So up to that time men did not know what God was really like!

The Greeks thought of God as a passionless God, one beyond all joy and sorrow looking on man with unmoved attachment!

The Jews thought of God, let me repeat it as a demanding God whose name was law and whose function was judge!
This was the picture.

They were in darkness to God, who He really was, and what His attitude really was before a world.

Jesus said, I am repeating, I came to reveal the Father, He that has seen Me, has seen the Father!

Amen, no man had seen the Father at any time.

But the time had come to reveal the Father, and when you see Me, you see the Father, and this is why they said this is a strange thing.

Why?

Here was Jesus saying I am God, I am equal with God, I am revealing God.

He was healing the sick, He was holding little children up, He was feeding the poor, He was blessing everybody that came around Him, and they said that this is strange.

And it was strange to them.

They said on one occasion we have never seen it like this!

What were they talking about?

It was so far removed from the position that they held of God, so thank God through Jesus Christ, God has perfected a plan!

God has visited the earth and he has perfected a plan where we can serve God without fear!
Fearlessly we can serve God righteously in holiness and righteousness!

My friend to serve Him righteously, is to serve Him sincerely, and supremely!
Unless your sincere in your experience, and hold God in a supreme place.

Profess all you want but your not serving Him righteously!

Too many times today, God comes in second, third and fourth place.

I’ll serve God just as soon as I,

No you won’t!

To serve Him righteously, I want to repeat is to serve Him sincerely, and supremely!

Not only are we to serve Him fearlessly, righteously, but were are to serve Him consistently and continuously, all of the days of our life.

A lot of you might say, I don’t think that you can live that way!

Then you don’t know why Jesus came.

You discount God’s great salvation!

There’s more shame and disgrace and Jesus is put to open shame today by religionist that lift up Jesus Christ on this side and mans failures on the other side and said that’s the way that it is.

No that’s not the way that it is! (pause)
I’ll go on, somebody said tell us about the joy!

Tell us about the Joy, Fear Not, I am not through with the fear yet!

Stick with me, fear not, why?

We bring you good tidings.

I have been talking about some of them, good tidings of great joy.

Friend, let me tell you, when people truly find the Lord, no matter where they find Him, they understand in two seconds more about this great Joy than the best preacher that ever stood in the pulpit, could explain in three hours.

Good tidings of great Joy!

Let’s look, let’s just check them out a little, in Luke the 2nd Chapter, verse 20 look at the shepherds,
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

See when the angels bore the message in verse 15 as I read earlier,
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another.

Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Now let’s look back in Matthew, the 2nd Chapter

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

As you see the shepherds found the great joy!

The Wise men found the great joy

Now you remember earlier when I spoke of Simian and his wife Anna?

This will tie right in with that.

Now I want you to see the Holy Ghost, friends that temple had hundreds of people going in and out of it.

They were babies brought everyday, 100’s of them, but here came a little old pheasant woman carrying a baby, and Old Simian, he hadn’t moved off of his seat, he jumped up, there is something different about this woman,

Something different about this baby, Anna jumped up right behind him and walked across the temple, Simian took the baby in his arms and looked up and said, now let thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.

Oh friend it’s more than a story, it’s a moving of heaven.

It’s a moving of God’s divine direction through the Holy Spirit.

I want to tell you just the same, friend it takes the same Holy Ghost that moved on Simian, to make you able to recognize Christ and recognize truth when you see it.

Friend, we are in a time when a multiplicity of religions teachings of every kind but thank God, God has sent the Holy Spirit just like he did to Simian, just like Simian could say that’s the child, my friend the Holy Ghost will help you to say, that’s the truth!
Take hold of it,

Don’t be afraid of it, that’s God’s word of truth, that’s His salvation.

It hasn’t changed no, no, no, so those silent hopeful’s of Iseral that were waiting, good people, waiting, thank God they saw His salvation.

Now we come up quickly, centuries have passed since the birth of Christ.

Tombs have crumpled into ruins, Agustus Caesar the mighty Emperor, has become dust and ashes and his empire is unheard of.

Herod the Great lies buried in the grave, he has gone back to dust, and his sword has lost it’s sharp edge.

But even though all of that negative part has passed from the scene, the Angelic hymn is still re echoed in every nation around our world, Fear Not,
We bring you good tidings of great joy.

Such shall be to all people, for unto to you, a savior is born!
He was born for you, who ever you are, what ever your circumstance is, no matter how low down you are, what color your skin is, where you come from, what you have been doing, a savior is born unto you!

Not only a savior, He’s Christ the Lord, I am MEARLY just showing the shift.

Agustus Caesar is gone, everyone that played a part in this big pageantry if you want to call it that.
They have stepped off the stage of action, but thank God, He still lives, He still reigns, the King of kings, Lord of Lords!

Instead of the shepherds band, that little group of shepherds, that first got the message, that shepherd band has been changed into a large congregation, of people, from all tribes and all nations, and all walks of life.

Your setting this morning and hearing a re echoing of the great gospel message, the good tidings from heaven, that a savior is born unto you,
Fear Not, Fear Not, Fear Not,

Oh may God help us!

I say that the Star of Bethlehem has become the Son of Righteousness, who has dispelled the darkness of unbelief, and brought a new day.

Thank God for it, I thanked God for this early this morning, I am glad that I don’t live in a dark world.

I have light, I have light!

I say that the Star of Bethlehem is become the Son of Righteousness which has dispelled the darkness of unbelief and brought a new day for the children of men, groping in spiritual darkness.

The second Fear that I want to mention that is removed, is the fear that is caused by cares and sufferings.

We are in a time of tribulation and trials, certainly there is going to have to be some teachings along that line, Jesus came to remove the fear caused by cares and sufferings.

Luke the 21st chapter, Jesus told us that a sign of His coming would be men hearts failing for fear of those things coming on the Earth.

We are in a time of trouble, we are in a time my friends, when the cares of life are great, there is no need to try and paint a glossy picture it’s true.

I want you to see that Jesus, came, my friend, to handle that fear, that’s caused by cares and sufferings.

I begin by saying that it’s not the Will of God that Earth be filled with cares, concerns, and worrying.

Anybody that’s ever studied the Bible, knows that’s true.

God Willed for men to live in communion with God, cast all of his cares on God and rest in the peace of God!

See we went right on, the message was Peace on Earth, goodwill to men, what kind of peace can we have on Earth?

Before Jesus left He said my Peace, I leave with you, My Peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, but I, give unto you, let not your heart be troubled.

If we are not careful Church of God, the cares and circumstances of life will so far remove us from God, and close communication with God that we will be weighted down just like the world is, and not be able to help them one bit.

Jesus left His Peace, same kind of peace that He had, He left for you and I.

God never intended in the beginning before sin entered in, God never for man to be weighted with cares, concerns, and worry’s.
He wanted man to live free of that, and live in communion with Him, and enjoy His Peace.

This is what Paul is talking about, when he talks about casting all of your cares, this is getting back to the original.

I am not preaching a standard that will get you above temptation, I am not preaching a message that will lift you where you will never have any problems, no tribulations, no cares, but I am preaching the truth that Jesus came to deliver us from fear!

There’s too many people whose life is miserable today, because of fear.

Fear about what’s going on in the world today!

Fear about the missals that’s planted all around us in the ocean, fear about your employment, fear of sickness, fear of cancer!

I could go on and keep on adding to it, Jesus came to take fear away just as sure as we are here.

God didn’t intend for man to be loaded with cares and worry’s.

Certainly when man sinned in the garden it enkindled God’s wrath!

And our Holy Righteous God permitted sin to work out it’s dire destiny.

And when He allowed sin to workout it’s destiny, He permitted the cares, and the evils, and the sufferings which are the natural and the necessary outcome of sin.

We wouldn’t have a care or a problem in this world if it wasn’t for sin!

Now don’t take me wrong, I am not saying to you that have sinned because you have a care, but I am saying that the reason that the cares and concerns and problems are in the world are because of Sin!

God cursed the earth, because of sin, go back and read it, He cursed the man, He cursed the woman, He cursed the serpent, and when He got through cursing them it didn’t take but a very short time for sin to bring forth a terrible harvest.

The first great harvest of sin that showed up, was that our parents, Adam and Eve was compared to endure the untold woe of having one of their son’s kill the other.

Don’t say that wasn’t care!

What a terrible blow to a father and mother that one son would rise up and kill the other.

Where did that terrible care come from?

From sin!

The harvest of sin, oh how the misery and suffering has weighted down our world.

The weight is so heavy, that there is countless millions that go to bed and put through sleepless nights with all of the pills that they can take, and they still can’t find any rest or any ease.

Because of the cares and the problems of this world and our life’s.

Look at the prisons all over this great nation, there are full and running over, and why?

SIN, SIN, SIN and more room being made in this old world every day for more sin to come in.

People everywhere are imprisoned in sin, and they all want out when they have a crisis in there life.

And they all say that they are going to get up and get out of the life of sin that they are living in, just like people in prison!

They say that they are going to change and there are going to get up and walk out of the prison and never go back again but when they get up to walk out, all they do is butt there head against the steel bars!

And friends when you leave Jesus Christ out of your lives, that’s all you are doing, butting your head against the prison of sin!

You can say what you are going to do and what you are not going to do, but you are going to do in the long run just what your master the devil, has got planned for you to do!

As long as you put the devil first in your life then you are going to do exactly what he has in mind for you to do!

I know that some of you feel that this a new thing that is going on in the world today, but if you will look back and study the Bible you will find that there were the same type of heartaches to parents back then that they are today.

Read in Genesis 44:29
There Jacob laments to his children,

And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

And on and on you can go with men that were troubled with terrible cares, and the fears of facing the cares!

But thank God when the fullness of time came, the star shown forth and the sunrise moved in, and the night of worry and fear became a day of rejoicing.

This Christ child not only bore our grief’s and sorrow’s, he not only bore our grief’s our sorrows, our cares, were instructed to cast them all on Him, He more than bore our sins, He came to heal the brokenhearted.

I am here to tell you this morning that Jesus wants to do more for you than you are allowing Him to do!
He wants you to cast all of your cares upon Him, not just some of them, not just enough to get you through one crisis, not just enough to last you for the day!

But all of your cares and he will give you that Peace that can only come from Him.

So this Christ child not only bore our grief’s and sorrows but bought us to the right interpretation of sorrow and suffering.

He has taught us that we have a Father in Heaven whose way are not our ways, and His thought’s are not our thought’s, there as high above our thought’s as the heaven’s is above the earth.

He is a heavenly Father that does all things well, and He loves us with an everlasting love, and everything that happens to you who are borne again Christians, God planned it, and it is working for your good!

Now if you really believed that you would be a fool if you ran around and said that this is getting me down, well what’s getting you down?

GOOD, good is getting me down!

If we could know that God love’s us with an everlasting love, Jesus Christ not come to bear our grief’s and sorrows, He became for us a living model!

The devil comes around and say’s you can’t do that man, you just say to him, Jesus did.

He became for us a living model!

He was born in poverty, He knew the fortune’s of poverty, he knew what the difficulties was, that you are having, when you have a terrible making ends meet.

He lived with that, I dare you to study His life, He lived with that, He was born in poverty, He was raised as a child in poverty, when He became a man He lived in poverty, he had no where to lay His head,!
We are all way ahead of Him!

You know what?

The devil has got you enchanted with your cares!

And he has caused you to get your eye’s off of Jesus!

He felt bitterness and sorrow, He was misunderstood by the world, He was hated by his enemy, and betrayed and deserted by every friend that He had!

He went to the cross alone!

Even His closest friends that He had then, either betrayed or deserted Him!

He went through bodily suffering, in the worst way, scorned, beaten, kicked, crowned with thorns, hung on a cross, that’s the only place that the world had room for Him, on a cross, they had plenty of room for Him there.

What did He do through all of this treatment?

He loved everyone, with a love like no one in this world has ever had!
He fully submitted Himself to His Father’s will!

He could die saying not my will, but Thine be done!
Not only has He shown us the high purpose in God’s providence of suffering and sorrow, but He became a model for us!

And before He left, He gave us the power so that we could follow in His footsteps!

Is this salvation? Is this salvation?

Well if you still have got a place to lay your head then quite fussing around!

You are in better shape than He was!

Cast your care on Him, and tell Him what you need!

And in that prayer, however Father, not my will but Thine be done.

I say that he has given us the Holy Spirit, first enabling us to believe in Him!

See I couldn’t believe this, this way without the help of the Holy Spirit!

It’s too much for a man to believe, it’s too great, it’s too high!

But through the Holy Spirit, thank God He put the believer right down inside.

2 Corinthians 1:20
Yea, Our preaching to you was not Yea and Nay, some of the promises Yea and some of the promises Nay, But they were Yea and AMAN to everyone that believeth through Jesus Christ! every promise,

Now some of you haven’t smiled since I took the Christmas tree away!
I can give you something better if you will look!

When I prayed this morning I told God that I was facing people this morning!
And there is multiplicity of circumstances, some of the people are financially pressed, others are pressed sore because of actions of there children, children are pressed sore because of actions of their parents!

There are people pressed sore because there home is in a disparing condition!

I know that there are too many problems in this world today to try and mention in this short time that we have.

But friend the message that I am trying to get to you this morning, that there is a consolation for you that the world hasn’t got, and can’t have.

Sure there is trouble!

But with the trouble there is consolation that Paul preached!

There is a consoling force that works thru God’s word and God’s Spirit!

Even though the thing may try us hard in the midst of it we can say thank God!

What are you thanking God for, because you have trouble?

No but I am thanking God that in my trouble I have got Jesus, and there is consolation for me, and there is help for me, and I’ll not fear the circumstance.

Let me give you a hard fear that you can deal with,
John 11:40
Lazarus had died, there was death in a home,
You know we have talked about death lot’s of times and did you happen to look in the paper and see how many people died this week?

Did anyone that you know die this week?

People die everyday and you need to be ready for you know not the day or the hour that the son of man will come.

You see my friends the world will forget God.

Go away from God, going to make there own way, but there soon comes a hurt, that man can’t heal, the words of man can’t reach the hurt, neither can they heal it.

But there is consolation there’s comfort, there’s strength, and there’s help!
I see Jesus when they came and told Him Lazarus is sick, He never hurried, took His time if anything He slowed down.

Finally a runner came back and said that there wasn’t any need of coming, Lazarus had died.

Jesus just kept walking, see God don’t get in no hurry.

Why?

It is just as easy for Him to raise Lazarus from the dead as it was for Him to heal him from the sick.

When He got over there Lazarus sister Martha began oh Jesus if you had been here my brother wouldn’t have died, and what did Jesus say to her?
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto THEE, that, if THOU wouldest believe, THOU shouldest see the glory of God?

Right in the midst of the darkness, right in the midst of the care, right in the midst of the concern, right in the midst of your broken heart, if you would just believe, you could see the glory of God!!!

All you have to do is to believe!

And the glory of God shines brighter in the dark and heavy place!

And the last fear that Jesus came to remove, and I thank God for it, is the fear of death.

Fear not!

How heavy was the hand of death upon the people, before Jesus came?

Oh I would like to bring many witnesses Matthew the 4 chapter the 16 verse, the people which set in darkness saw a great light, and to them that set in the regions, the shadow of death this light is sprung up.

Man lived under the fear of the shadow of death, even the Jews, God’s people, were afraid of the night, the terrible darkness that covered the souls of there departed ones, even the prophets looked gloomily at death.

You can’t find any bright words from the prophets about death.

No it was all darkness, it was all a Vail that we don’t understand, the soul has passed into an area, we don’t know what has happened to it,
even Job was in darkness about death.

In Job the 10th chapter verse 21 and 22
Before I go whence, I shall not return, even to the land of darkness, where did Job feel that he was going in death?

To a land of darkness,
something that man has no understanding about, a land of darkness as darkness itself and in the shadow of death, without any order, where the light is even darkness, that’s the way that Job looked at death.

When he got over to the 14th chapter he said if a man die will he live again?

Many hundred years that question went unanswered, the world was held in darkness, under the shadow of death, there was no order about eternity, they didn’t know what happened to the soul after death!

And Job asked the question, if a man die will he live again?

Thank God this made him grow up to a man, He stood in the 14th chapter of John and said because I live, ye shall live also, He jerked the Vail away!

AMAN, He took the darkness out of death let light shine in to the Vail of death!

I hear Him telling the Jews in John 5:28 Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming when all that are in the grave, are going to hear the voice of the Son of God!
And shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, they that have done evil, under the resurrection of the damnation.

Lifting up this babe telling you what was born to us, when this babe was born in a manger, thank God for light today!

I am not going to die like Job, wondering about the future and what it holds.

Thank God because of the birth of His son I am not living in darkness, I am not living in turmoil!

I know what is going to happen to my soul when I die!

I know what happens to my body when I die!

I know that there is going to be a new body, and I know that the soul’s coming back, Glory be to God, I am not in darkness.

A great light has shined!

Fear Not! Fear Not!

Don’t be afraid to put your trust in God!

Don’t be afraid to claim an experience of Holiness!

Don’t be afraid to make a determination I am going to live for God everyday of my life!

Don’t have fear over the cares of life!

Cast them on Jesus believe in Him and right in the midst of the cares see the glory of God and when you get ready to die, say it’s all in order, it’s all in order, it’s all under the hand of God!

Fear Not, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people.
Have you got the experience this morning?

The savior that was born unto you, was born for you, lived for you, died for you, rose for you, ascended back to heaven, setting at the right hand of the Father for you!

Is knocking, knocking at your heart’s door, He wants in, and when He comes in old things pass away,
behold all has become new!

Let us bow our heads,

Father, I thank THEE, for this unspeakable gift THOU has given us.

We thank THEE for the sweet Holy Spirit, that constant present help, that directive force, that comforting and lifting power.

I thank you for the consolation that I have found in THEE midst the trials and the cares.

Now I ask in Jesus Name, that you will move on precious heart’s.

Now Lord we are going to do one thing or the other, we are going to come right up and face reality this morning, recognize our need of THEE, and turn away from the forms and ceremonies and even engage in the false pagan customs and forms.

Or we are going to open our heart’s door and let the Living Christ come in, not only as a savior, but as a ruler, a King and a Lord of our lives!
Oh I pray that you will rebuke the enemy of souls, Lord I have prayed much and I pray one more time, give me souls this morning, in Jesus name.
Amen!
 

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