Why “fear” the baby from Bethlehem?

Hey, thanks again for sending in questions related to our recent sermons. We, uh, are continuing our Christmas prophecy series. This last week, we looked at the rather famous passage from the book of Micah, detailing where the Savior would be born in the little town of Bethlehem. Um, and from the hymn, or not, uh, the Christmas carol, um, where we sing about Bethlehem, one of the lines is, in the dark streets shineth the everlasting light.

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Um, so the question for this week is, um, what are the fears of all the years? I mean, hopes we get, God’s coming here to rescue us, hallelujah. What are the fears of all the years? It’s all the fears of all the years are met at this little baby that’s in Bethlehem? Um, what’s that about?

What are the fears? Um, and so I, um, I hope, hopefully our posture is, uh, celebrating the Lord coming. Um, but we also need to be reminded, uh, that he is the Lord. He is who is in charge. Um, he is coming, um, ultimately, um, not only to save the earth, but to judge the earth, to end all wickedness. Um, and so the the fears are for, are really for anybody who won’t celebrate him, um, who will resist him, who won’t repent and turn from their own way to follow his way. Um, because he’s going to

win. And so we certainly want to be on his side when he wins. For anybody who isn’t on his side, who hasn’t, um, you know, confessed him, trusted in him to liberate them from their own wickedness, right? He he is an unstoppable force. Um, he, you know, um, he he talks about like Matthew 25, people being unprepared for his arrival. Um, and it it will be a scary thing for anybody who is not with him when he arrives. Um, you can, you know, we have all these cliches like, you know, when the cat’s away,

the the mice will play. We we can get the idea that, oh, we can just do whatever we want. God won’t really care. He’s in heaven. He’s never going to bother with us. Um, but then he actually shows up. Um, it’s, and for anybody who’s not with him, then that is fear. Um, and that’s really, uh, it’s really healthy for all of us to remember, he is the Lord.

He is in charge. We are not. It’s his way, not our way. Um, and if we are running off in our own way, and then he shows up, right? The reaction is just fall on the floor and beg for mercy. It’s not, it’s not just continue our own way. It’s not try to fight him. Um, because because he is the sovereign over all. Um, and so that’s that’s the fears.

A lot of that’s healthy. Um, some of that is a warning. Um, but, um, but all of it is needed. Um, so thanks for the question. We’ll see you next time.