Fear Not

25 December 2016 (8.30am service, New Creation Church at Star Vista)

 - Sermon delivered by Pastor Joseph Prince

Sermon Notes (Note: These are personal notes and not a transcription of the sermon.) 

 

I.           Al Tirah— Fear Not

Our God is a Trion God— the Trinity.

Even among the Jewish people, as they pray, they pray to Shema (in Hebrew) which means the “united One”.

While we celebrate Christmas, we remember the gift from God— His only Son:

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus said to the disciples the night before he was crucified: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

Thus, LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED, NEITHER LET IT BE AFRAID.

In Hebrew, Al Tirah means “fear not”.   

Thus, don’t be afraid, God remembers what you prayed for.

Don’t be afraid of the problems of raising our children, our work, our family, etc.

When Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said to her “Do not be afraid”:

Luke 1:29-31

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

The 10 commandments are not there to judge us, but to show that we all sin.

Jesus is here to let us know “Do not be afraid”.

Moses is a law giver, Jesus is a saviour.

When men sin, God says, "Don’t be afraid."

At the outskirt of Bethlehem during the time Jesus walked on the Earth, there was a temple where sheep will be used for sin offering. As a sin offering, the sheep cannot have blemishes.  The shepherd at the temple watched after sheep to be sacrificed.

In the temple, the priest did not examine the sinner but the sacrifice brought to the temple. The priest (that represents God) will not examine you, but the sheep (that represents Jesus) with no blemishes. If the lamb has no blemishes, and the sinner lays the hands on the lamb, the perfect qualities of the lamb will be transferred to the sinner.

You have sins. But, God says there is a solution— all the sins are transferred to the lamb. All the lamb’s innocence is then transferred to you.

In the temple, the priest passed the knife to the offerer, and the offerer would kill the lamb.

God’s judgement was made on the lamb and not on the person. The sinner deserved what the lamb deserved and the innocent lamb took what the sinner deserved. The sinner walked away from the temple blessed and accepted by God.

Our good works cannot cover our sins. Our intentions cannot cover our sins. Without shedding of blood, there is no washing of sin.

The first sacrifice/blood shed as shown in the Bible was when God covered Adam and Eve with clothes/skin of the animals. God offered the first sin offering. He killed animals and blood was shed to cloth Adam and Eve:

Genesis 3:21

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

God said, "You cannot pretend you don’t have sin, but I love you."

However, the sheep and lamb are just covering the sins, like how we use our VISA cards. It’s temporal and does not have the power to take away your sins.

The blood of Jesus is sacrificed. When Jesus came, the Romans examined Jesus, they tested him.

The  teachers of the law and the elders sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They tried to trap Jesus by having Him to say that the people should pay taxes, Jesus said:

Mark 12: 14-17

When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it." So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him.

In another incident, Jesus was tested on how He would handle the situation of one who has committed adultery by teachers of laws and the Pharisees:

John 8:3-8

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

As Jesus was writing on the ground, His fingers touched the stones. If Jesus were to say “Don’t stone her”, he was not keeping Moses’s laws

However, if He were to say stone her, He would not be demonstrating His grace.

He could stone her but he would not. Jesus did not compromise his righteousness with His answer.

The sinner was eventually left alone with the saviour. He said to the lady:

"Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." (John 8:11)

Before He told her to sin no more, He gave her no condemnation.

It is “no condemnation” which empowers sinners to sin no more.

When Jesus was hung on the cross, it was not an accident. God knew and foreknew that this would happen. He knew it before it happened.

II.        God has gone through 2017

Thus, God has also gone through 2017, and He will bring you through. Rely on him, rest on his peace.

No matter what happens, DO NOT BE AFRAID:

Luke 2:7-11

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

“His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”:

Jesus is a counsellor. When you don’t know what to do, He knows.

God is a counsellor too. At times, God changes the circumstances; at times, God changes you.

The mighty God is a hero God. He is a saviour and not a judge.

When Jesus was born, midnight became midday, and angels filled the sky.

III.      It is finished!

When Jesus was hung at the cross, He laid down His life willingly:

John 10:18

No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

Jesus came to the world so that we can live our life of “no fear”.

The Bible recorded that crucifixion took place at the third hour (9 a.m.) and Jesus's death happened at the ninth hour (3 p.m.). It was recorded world-wide that when Jesus proclaimed “It is finished”, it was during the three hours of eclipse.

Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” before 3pm:

Matthew 27: 46

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

In the Bible, before this, Jesus had been saying “My Father”. There was never one time which he called His Father “God”. At that moment on the cross, it was not about God and His Son, but it was between God and His sacrifice.

This was already prophesised by David in Psalm 22:

Psalm 22:1

To the Chief Musician. Set to 'The Deer of the Dawn.' A Psalm of David. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

David lived 1000 years before Jesus, and during that time, there was no crucifixion. Punishment was executed by stoning.  “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” was proclaimed so that the Jews would know that Jesus is the Messiah.

IV.       By His Stripes, We Are Healed!

Jesu suffered on the cross, so that all our sins are washed. The soldiers hit Him and beat Him, with his feet hardly touching the floor, and the back was stretched. Leather whip was made with broken glass, bones, nails and hooks attached, causing the whip to cut deep into His flesh. The scourging was carried out, and that by His stripes are we healed. We therefore declare, “by his stripes, the condition is no more” or “by his stripes, I am healed”.

All that Jesus deserved are transferred to us, if we received Him. At 3pm, He cried, “It is finished!”

After God’s holiness that demanded punishment was satisfied, Jesus looked up and addressed God as “Father” again:

Luke 23:46

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last.

 

“Spirit” in Hebrew means breath. He bowed his head and breathed out…

Most people died with their head up. Jesus died with his head down. He laid down his life:

John 19:30

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

“Gave up” – Jesus surrendered His spirit.

All others who were crucified by Romans pushed themselves up for air and thus ended with cracked necks. However, Jesus didn’t do that. Jesus was the only one who died with His head bowed. The last gesture He did was worship.

He gave back His spirit to God. As He said “It is finished”, the devil was defeated.

V.          Conclusion

God lives outside time. God gathers our sins of past present and future. We don’t understand as we live in time.

When God says you are forgiven, you are forgiven in the past, present and future. All you have to do is to believe.

Now, God’s heart is unleashed. God’s righteousness is on your side. Your sins have been punished in the body of Jesus Christ. Thus, your sins cannot be punished twice.

When God restores, it is never like how man restores. When god restores, it is always greater in quality and quantity. For instance, Jesus fed 5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish.

They ate till they were filled. The moment they were full, the supply stopped, and there was leftover:

Luke 9:17

So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

Economics is about supply and demand, with scarce resources. With God, He is inexhaustible.  God’s supply for 2017 is greater than your demand.

When Jesus comes into our life, we will see a person who will never fail or disappoint us!