MC3
Sunday service with Art Stansberry
Mark 4:35-41 NIV
Matthew 10:27-30 NIV
“Year of Fear.” Fear of the Virus, Fear of the Lock-downs, Fear of Riots, Fear of Trump winning, Fear of Biden winning, Fear on Social Media, Fear on news stations . . . fear, fear, fear, Fear!
I ask myself, as a follower of Jesus, “Am I living in fear? Am I doing the very thing that Jesus says NOT to do?”
Do you find yourself fearful in this world?
How can we navigate a fear-saturated world in a fearless way?
Matthew 2:1-2 NIV
But fast forward to the Magi. God begins to move. The Magi understood Jewish tradition (thanks to Daniel), they obviously were looking for the Messiah, and they recognized that God would often put signs in the heavens, and they found a star.
Luke 2 says that the “Glory of God shone around them, and they were terrified.” Food for thought . . .
But I’m curious, were the Magi afraid?
Matthew 2:3-8 NIV
We assume there was some fear on the part of the Magi. We know Herod and the leadership were afraid.
Where do you place your fear?
but it is a fear of disappointing Him
Are you more afraid of disappointing Jesus than you are of your anxieties and worries? Are you more afraid of your circumstances than you are afraid of displeasing the Lord?
“Fear becomes toxic when it determines our relationships, dictates how we treat others, or directs our life. Unhealthy fear fosters the worst in us. In March 2020, the Christian Post quoted Tony Evans as saying, “Our anxiety, worry, and fear is outpacing the problem of the virus.” I would go a step further to add that our fear is outpacing the problems of 2020!”
FEAR NOT!
Trust the Word of the One who is a sure bet, trust the ONE who knows with certainty the future, trust the ONE who wins 100% of every battle . . . and your battle . . . well it’s not just yours, it is the Lords.
But Fear disappointing the Lord.
Being wise means that we Fear Disappointing our Lord and Savior.
2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
In fact the Glory of God did NOT come upon the 2nd Temple . . . until Luke 2, when Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, entered the temple as a little baby and dwelt among us. In that moment the glory of God filled the temple like never before.