12-22-2019
Dr. E. Dale Locke, Rev. Trevor Johnston, and Pastor Efrain Silva
Sermon Series: Fear Not
Week 4: Alias
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1. By now you should be able to say our theme verse from memory: Luke 2:10-11: “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’”
2. During the four weeks of Advent we’re looking at four times in the Christmas story when an angel told someone not to be afraid, so that we can better understand how God’s love and presence can help us deal with fear and anxiety. The first week we looked at the angel’s visit to Zechariah and Elizabeth, who feared that they had somehow missed it in life – like their deepest dreams and desires might never come true. We saw in that story that it’s never too late for God to work, so we should keep trusting that God has good plans for us. In the second week, we looked at the fear of not being enough through the story of the angel’s visit to Mary. We saw that it’s actually God’s power in us that makes us enough. In week three, we spoke about the fear of what people think of us and learned from Joseph to turn our focus onto what God thinks of us instead. This week, we’re talking about the fear of bad news. Many people in our current culture worry because the news in our world seems to be increasingly bad. What are some reasons people feel that way?
3. Read Luke 2:1-14:
“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’”
4. What questions or comments come to your mind as you read this passage?
5. At the time this event took place, Israel was occupied by a foreign power. The Romans had taken over their country and were ruling over them ruthlessly, keeping a so-called “peace” through violence and killing. Even this census was just another tool for the Romans to get more tax money from the Jewish people. Given that situation, imagine how the shepherds would have felt about the “good news” that the angels were telling them about. What would they have been thinking?
6. “Catastrophizing” is when we irrationally imagine and come to believe that a situation is or will be far worse than the situation actually calls for. If you’ve ever found yourself catastrophizing, share about that experience.
Worry is Unproductive!
7. Read what Jesus said in his famous sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:25-27: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” What’s Jesus point here? Why shouldn’t we worry?
8. Debbie Downer is a character on Saturday Night Live who constantly interrupts every pleasant conversation with some negative news. If you’ve ever known someone like Debbie Downer, how does it impact you when you’re around that person?
9. Pastor and author Rick Warren said “Worry is stewing without doing.” What did he mean by that? What happens when we get caught in a cycle of worry?
Worry is Counter-Productive!
10. Read Jesus’ words in Luke 8:14: “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” What do you notice here about the effects of worry on a person’s life?
11. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first inaugural address included his famous statement, “There’s nothing to fear but fear itself.” He said this during the Great Depression, because he knew that if Americans let fear grip them, it would only make things worse. He continued: “Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Talk about why the fears that you sometimes experience are actually counter-productive.
Worry is a Warning Sign!
12. Share about a time when you had some kind of warning signal – in your car or some other piece of equipment – but you ignored it. Why did you ignore it? What happened?
13. How is worry a warning sign? What might it be a sign of when you get caught up in worry?
14. Read Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Based on this passage, what can help you handle worry and fear about all the bad news around us?