Do Not Be Afraid
Most Popular Bible Verse in 2018
You may or may not know this but at the end of every year different websites that make the Bible available online or in an app release the most popular Bible verse of the year.
For some sites like Biblegateway.com, it’s almost always one of two verses. It’s either Jeremiah 29.11 or John 3.16.
But another popular Bible app & website discovered something different this year. YouVersion is a free Bible app that millions of people use around the world. In fact, it has 350 million downloads. It’s been downloaded in every country on earth!
According to YouVersion, the Bible verse that was the most shared, bookmarked & highlighted by its users is found in Isaiah 41.10. Do you want to know what Isaiah 41.10 says?
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
So in 2018, the most popular Bible verse on YouVersion is a verse about FEAR.
Interesting.
FEAR
What do we do with fear?
It’s something every single person on the planet has to contend with.
Life can be scary. The future is often uncertain.
We live in a world where things are not the way they are supposed to be. Bad things do happen to good people. Sometimes life is hard. And sometimes friendships are hard. Marriage can be hard. People get sick. Sometimes our kids struggle. There are times when our finances are tight. Sometimes we can’t fix whatever it is that is broken.
And sometimes one or more or all of those things leave us in a place where we’re afraid.
And that’s normal.
Today, I’m not going to tell you that if you just trust in Jesus, you shouldn’t be afraid. That you’re somehow less spiritual if you’re going through a difficult time & you’re afraid.
No. You’re human. It’s normal to feel fear. It’s completely normal to be afraid sometimes.
Do Not Be Afraid
In fact, in the very beginning of the Christmas story, the story of when Jesus came from Heaven to Earth & was born in Bethlehem, FEAR was present for just about every person present in the story.
Here’s how Matthew tells the story in Matthew 1.18-25:
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
What does the angel say to Joseph?
1 // The angel starts with a reminder of his IDENTITY.
2 // Then the angel tells him DO NOT BE AFRAID.
3 // Then the angel calls him to OBEDIENCE.
REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE
Joseph was a son of David. David, the giant killer. David, the one who met Goliath in the Valley of Elah when the armies of Israel were frozen in fear. It was David who was NOT AFRAID. It was David who took his sling & killed the giant with one shot to the head. It was David who said…
“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” 1 Samuel 17.45
It was David who was known as a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13.22)
It was the family of David, the great King of Israel, that Joseph belonged to. This was his identity.
Don’t miss this… if Joseph’s entire identity is wrapped up in him being a smalltime carpenter in a no-name village called Nazareth, then yes… he has much to be afraid of at this moment.
BUT…
If Joseph is the son of David, from the royal family, if he’s a direct descendant of the last great King of Israel & the giant killer we’re still talking about today… if that’s who Joseph is, if that’s his identity, then he may feel the fear but he doesn’t have to live in the fear.
He doesn’t have to let that fear control him because his identity is found in the fact that he is the son of David!
The angel reminds Joseph of his identity, then he tells him: DO NOT BE AFRAID.
RENOUNCE ALL FEAR
What did Joseph, the son of David, the son of the giant killer, the son of the great King of Israel, have to be afraid of in this moment?
1 // For starters, the ANGEL! It seems like in scripture anytime anyone encounters an angel, the angel almost always says, Don’t be afraid! I know we picture angels as beautiful creatures, & they probably are, but I think to encounter one face to face would be terrifying initially!
2 // But that’s not all Joseph had to be scared about. He’s just learned that the woman he’s engaged to, the woman he will soon Mary, is already pregnant! Where did this child come from? Who is the father? What do I do now? This was not the plan. The way forward is not the way I planned or even expected. Now everything is changing. What happens next?!
3 // But that’s not all Joseph has to be afraid of! We haven’t even talked about the natural fear you feel when you find out you’re going to be a father. There’s an inherent fear of finding out you’re about to be a dad. Can you be a good father? Can you provide for your wife & new born child? Where will you live? How will feed them? How will you provide for all their needs?
Then, for Joseph, there’s the natural fear exaggerated or amplified by the fact that this isn’t your child! There’s the fear of embarrassment. The fear of trying to explain. The fear of rumors. Fear of being shunned. Fear of all of that on top of the normal fears any expectant father would have.
After reminding Joseph of his primary identity – You are the son of David…
After telling Joseph to not be afraid…
Then the angel calls Joseph to be obedient…
REMAIN FAITHFUL TO HIS CALL
“When Joseph woke up, he DID as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.”
Joseph did exactly what the angel told him to do.
Joseph’s obedience even in the middle of his fear reminds us that our choice to do the right thing even when we’re afraid, even when the future is uncertain, even when we can’t see the way forward, our decision to do the right thing matters!
Joseph took Mary as his wife. He honored her. Protected her. He provided for her.
He was obedient to God & faithful to Mary even in his fear.
Because he did – JESUS CAME!
What happens if FEAR wins?
But have you ever thought about this…
What if Joseph had chickened out and let fear win?
The truth? I believe God would have still found a way to accomplish his plan.
But here’s the thing… we probably would have never known Joseph. We certainly wouldn’t be talking about him today if he had let fear win in his heart & life.
But this isn’t about us never knowing Joseph. Truth is, Joseph was faithful in the moment & we still don’t know much about him!
If Joseph had not been faithful in the middle of his fear, Joseph would have never experienced God’s Presence & Provision in his life!
I want you to think about that for a moment.
Why?
Because every time you & I let fear win, we deny ourselves the opportunity to experience God’s Presence & Provision in our lives.
[Tweet “Every time we let fear win, we deny ourselves the opportunity to experience God’s Presence & Provision in our lives.”]Maybe that’s where you’re living today. Maybe you’re not experiencing God’s peace, his presence or His provision in your life. And it’s because you’re living into the fear. You’re giving into the fear.
Whatever is coming against you, whatever lies before you, whatever difficulty awaits you, whatever problems are before you, you don’t have to be afraid.
Why?
Because of who you are. Your relationship to God changes everything. Your father is here. Your father is near. You have nothing to fear.
We all experience fear but we don’t have to let that fear determine our behavior. What determines our behavior in the middle of our fear is where we find our identity.
[Tweet “What determines our behavior in the middle of our fear is where we find our identity.”]When you have found your identity as a son, as a daughter of God, you can be filled with courage because your Father in heaven is with you.
Here’s what I believe God wants you to hear today…
Remember who you are. Renounce all fear. Remain faithful to His call.
[Tweet “Remember who you are. Renounce all fear. Remain faithful to His call.”]Remember your identity. Do not be afraid. Live in obedience.
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