Fear of Hopelessness

Today on Summit Life with J.D. Greer. Welcome to Summit Life with J.D. Greer.

I'm your host, Molly Vidovich. You know, I imagine the scene at Jesus' birth as serene, quiet, tranquil, and, well, perfect. The cattle were lowing, whatever that means, and Jesus didn't cry, and the smell of cinnamon filled the air.

It's a pretty picture, isn't it? But today, Pastor J.D. shows us that something quite different was in the air that very first Christmas, and it was fear. Today, we'll take a look from Mary's perspective and find out how we can overcome the fear of hopelessness. Grab your Bible and pen and join Pastor J.D. now in the book of Luke. If you got your Bible, I want you to take them out now, and I want you to open them to the Gospel of Luke. Luke, the Gospel writer, is showing us how the birth of Jesus addresses some of our most primal fears.

Christmas, which is a time of joy for many as it should be, for others is a time when the fears and hurts of their life tend to come to the surface. The Discovery Channel had on a special about a guy who zipped himself up in a special Teflon suit so that he could be the first human being swallowed alive by an anaconda. Just out of curiosity, anybody else see that besides me? I'm a pretty adventurous guy, but even I look at that and say, who does that? Who thinks this is the mark that I want to leave on a human race, is I want to be the first man swallowed alive by an anaconda? An anaconda, of course, is the largest snake in the world.

It can grow to be up to 35 feet long and can swallow a 350-pound animal whole. Watching this last Sunday night reminded me of something that I shared with you a few years ago that supposedly appeared in a Peace Corps manual that trained volunteers who were going to serve in the Peace Corps in the Amazon region. Now, I cannot verify the veracity of this. It may be more of an urban legend, but supposedly the instructions that were given to Peace Corps volunteers in the Amazon gave them the protocol for what to do if you were attacked by an anaconda.

All right, so this is good to know. Here's supposedly what it said. Number one, don't run. Don't run. They say the anaconda is fast enough to catch you. I say, let the anaconda prove it. And by the way, if I'm with somebody else, I don't even have to outrun the anaconda.

I just got to outrun that dude, all right? No greater love. No greater love. Number two, lie supine and keep arms close to your side and your legs together. Number three, tuck your chin in. Number four, the snake will come and begin to nudge you and climb over your body. Number five, do not panic. If there were ever a time that God had designed the emotion of panic for, it would be this situation. Number six, the snake will probably begin to swallow you from the feet in first.

Probably. Do not try to resist. At this stage, it is especially important not to panic. Number seven, the snake will begin to suck your legs into its body.

This will take a long time. You must lie perfectly still during this whole process. Number eight, when the snake has reached your knees, slowly and with as little movement as possible, reach down, take your knife, and very gently insert it into the snake's mouth between its mouth and your leg. Then suddenly rip upward and sever its head.

Number nine, be sure you have your knife. So there are good fears and there are bad fears. Good fears, like this one, save your life.

Bad fears paralyze and destroy it. This weekend, we're going to look at a fear, one felt by the Virgin Mary herself, but one that she, unlike Zechariah, would overcome. It is the fear of hopelessness. So first, let's get a definition of hope so that we're all working from the same page here. Hope in the Christian sense is the expectation of future blessings and the confidence that the best is yet to come. Hope in the Christian sense is the expectation of future blessings and the confidence that the best is not behind you, but the best is in front of you. Based on that definition, I would say that we have many people in our community this weekend who are living without hope.

We have people who are asking, am I ever going to be happy again? Maybe you've suffered some setback in your job. Maybe it's been in your health or your career and it just feels so final. You wonder if there's anything left to look forward to. You've gone through a divorce or this is the first year that you're going into a Christmas season with your family looking completely different than it has in times past and you're just saying, are the best parts of my life behind me is all this anticipation I had when I was a child or a teenager or a college student of all that life was going to bring to me. Now it seems like a quick and very dull dream. Is it all behind me? Are the best days behind me? Recent events in our nation have made many people doubt whether there's any hope for justice or real harmony in our society.

These are all really legitimate questions. In this message, you're going to see how Mary faced and overcame the fear of hopelessness which we all have and how you in her example can overcome hopelessness too. Luke chapter 1 verse 26 is where we're going to be so let's read it here together. By the way, when I say that, I mean I read you sit there and listen.

I clarify that because I've done this before and had like four people start reading with me and it was kind of awkward but just listen. Verse 26, in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. He came to her and he said, greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Here's the first question you ought to ask of this text. Why is Mary troubled? Why is she afraid? Well, the obvious answer would seem to be that she just saw an angel. Angels in the Bible don't appear as the chubby, harmless looking adolescents floating around in togas with toy bows and arrows that we like to depict them as in pop culture. Angels in the Bible are towering, majestic warriors who whenever they show up their first words are always wait, wait, wait, don't die, don't die.

That's how impressive they seem to be. So maybe it's that that scared Mary is that she's seen the angel and that's why he says do not fear. That's a good explanation and I'm sure she was overwhelmed at the sight of Gabriel, but did you notice that's not specifically what the text said she was alarmed at? It says very specifically she was alarmed at his saying, not his appearance, at his saying. What was it that he had said to her? What was the greeting?

Well, it was calling her, O favored one. Who am I, she asked, for you to show up in all your heavenly glory with all of your attention on me telling me that I'm somebody special. I was trying to imagine what this would be like. Imagine if in the middle of this service at whatever campus you're at suddenly in through the doors and the exits came several dozen secret service agents and they start looking around and scanning the crowd and eventually one looks up at me and he says, I'm sorry pastor to interrupt, but we're looking for blank and they insert your name in that blank and they say we have a matter that the president of the United States wants to speak with so and so. It is a matter of urgent national security.

Your response to that is who am I and why am I so essential to national security? That is something like Mary is feeling at this moment. Who am I that God would send his top secret service agent to tell me that I'm somebody special? Listen, for you to understand that you are under the gaze and under the direct attention of the almighty God is frightening and that's what Mary felt at that moment. Verse 31, behold you will conceive in your womb and you will bear a son and you will call his name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the son of the most high and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end. Mary said to the angel how can this be since I am a virgin? Now here's your second question. Is Mary's question there a question of doubt?

Kind of. She says I'm a virgin. Virgins generally don't have babies God. Isn't this the same kind of question that got Zechariah in trouble? Gabriel had told Zechariah that he and his wife were going to have a son. The problem of course is that Zechariah and his wife are both octogenarians and Zechariah's response is like God I'm no spring chicken my wife I mean she's old. And for that question Gabriel put Zechariah into time out for nine months where he couldn't talk.

Remember? Look what happens to Mary. Verse 35 the angel answered her the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you therefore the child that was born will be called holy the son of God and behold your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son and this is the month with her six month with her who was called barren for nothing will be impossible with God. Zechariah got put into time out Mary got an explanation.

Why? Did Zechariah just get the grumpy angel? Is that what it was? No it's the same angel Gabriel maybe he hadn't had his morning coffee yet he's in sort of a bad mood he's kind of a hair trigger and bam he just no of course not it's because there are two different kinds of doubts both ask questions but there's bad doubt and there's good doubt there's a kind of doubt you see that grows out of disbelief it is proud and defiant it looks inward at itself in bitterness and it says to the promises of God there's no way this could be true that was Zechariah. Then there is the kind of doubt that grows out of a humble wonder it stares upward with awe and it says how can these things be true I don't understand God but I want to understand and I'm willing to learn that was Mary. Tim Keller calls this the difference between dishonest doubt and honest doubt. Dishonest doubt he says is proud and lazy it responds to God's revelation by simply saying that's impossible or rolling his eyes and saying the more contemporary phraseology that's just silly and then it just turns away those statements of course are not arguments they're just assertions dishonest doubt he says is close-minded it refuses to consider the possibility of a being whose purposes and power are far beyond its own comprehension by contrast he says honest doubts are humble because they lead you to ask genuine questions not just put up a defiant wall you see when you ask a real question it puts you in a position of one humility and two vulnerability humility you are admitting that there are some things that you may not understand there you are admitting that there are some things that might be beyond your comprehension to understand which is why you're asking the question vulnerability when you ask a question you just might get an answer and what if that answer contradicts you what if it shatters your categories what if that answer demands things from you that you feel like you're not ready to give yet honest doubts are open to belief you see if you're really asking God from humble doubt for insight into who he is and what he does he just might give it to you can I tell you what's awesome to me an answer to Mary's honest humble doubt the angel gives to her one of the greatest most faith-producing statements to me and all the Bible Luke 1 37 nothing is impossible with God I cannot tell you how many times that phrase has bolstered my faith in the midst of situations that verse has come to mind and I have said nothing is impossible with God here's what's awesome listen you know the only reason we have that statement in the Bible is because Mary asked that honest doubting question what that means is that when you ask God with humble doubts not only will God enlarge your faith if you ask it from a position of humility not only will he enlarge your understanding he will probably give you understanding that will bless all the people around you because he's going to give you insight into the wisdom and the promises of God that you're going to use to share with others it's like I've often told you doubt is like a foot that's poised right a foot that's poised you can either go backwards or you can either go forwards it is true that doubt can drive you backwards into unbelief but it's also true that doubt is what drives you forward into the deeper understanding of love for God and faith in him you can't walk forward until you pick up your foot so the problem is not your doubts the problem is listen the problem is the heart behind those doubts the problem is don't let anybody ever tell you the problem is the doubt the problem is that when you ask the doubt with a proud and very bitter or very proud and defiant heart that is not open to the possibility that there is a God that is far beyond your comprehension you need to understand when you come to God that you are dealing with a God who is all wise all powerful and you ought to present your question with the humility that being in the presence of that kind of being requires verse 38 Mary said behold I am the servant of the Lord let it be to me according to your word and then the angel departed from her Mary then composes a song in which she rejoices in the promises that God has made to her so using Mary as our example let's talk about how we overcome the fear of hopelessness three things I think you should have seen in that story the first one drives the rest so we're going to spend a little bit more time on it number one understand and embrace the favor of God understand the favor of God the angel starts his command to Mary to not fear by announcing to her that she has the favor of God that is important because it's going to be the key to everything else so what is the favor of God what does that phrase mean to you I heard a TV preacher very recently talk about the favor of God in his life it's him getting a good parking space at the mall during Christmas time and he was telling a story about going to the mall and you know what it's like that you know you have to park six miles away from the building he said right as I pulled in he said somebody right next to the handicapped spot pulled out and I pulled my car in and I just said that's the favor of God that's what it means to have the holy God smiling upon you and Jesus loves me is that what the favor of God is maybe the house that you've always wanted goes into foreclosure and you're able to buy it for a steal your kids are getting straight A's every time you smile your teeth gleam is that the favor of God is that how you think about it well think for a minute about the situation that Mary is in she's just been told that she's going to be pregnant with no husband in a culture where this is not only frowned upon it's punishable by death the man that she loves Joseph it's probably not going to understand the situation and will probably leave her she's already poor if Joseph leaves her and doesn't have her killed she'll be destitute she might have to beg I mean if she really had the favor of God why wouldn't the angel just have stroked her a check and that's what I would that conversation I would have had after this one I'm like hey while you're here how about the next lottery numbers you know just going to slip those to me and then we'll you know then I'll really have the favor Mary doesn't have any of those things Mary is financially insolvent she has a ruined reputation her most important relationship with her fiance is just falling apart yet she rejoices in the favor of God how because a son will be born to her the son an angel says whose name you will call Jesus because he will save his people from their sins what if her main problem you see was not her finances what if it was not a bad reputation what if her primary problem was a severed relationship with God what if the reason that she didn't have joy what if the reason she didn't have purpose had nothing to do with the size of her bank account or the status of her marriage what if it had to do with where she stood with God and what if that son would come to set her right with God you see the fact that her pregnancy essentially puts her under a curse of death is given as a symbol to you and me of what Jesus was coming for you and I like Mary is now we were under the curse of death because of our sin the son that was born to Mary basically says you're under the curse of death but I'm going to grow up and I'm going to die in your place to us he says you're under the curse of death I am born to a woman I am born to a race that is under the curse of death because of their sin but do not fear because I will one day take your place that's why we say here at the Summit Church that the gospel in four words is Jesus in my place to understand the gospel you don't get religious you have to understand the idea of substitution that Jesus would live the life that you were supposed to live and then he would die the curse of death that you were supposed to die in your place on the cross and what the author of the gospel of Luke is screaming to you from the very beginning is that from the pregnancy itself Jesus's life and ministry would be about taking your place and about substitution I love my favorite painting on the birth of Christ I think it's by Rembrandt is a is a you've got the the manger scene and you've got the the the shepherds who have come to worship and the light source in Rembrandt's painting is coming from behind and one of the one of the shepherds is on his knees and he's got his arms outstretched in adoration of the baby Jesus and the light makes his arms outstretched arms make this it's very faint but you see this shadow of a cross fall across the manger and what he was showing was that even in the very birth itself the idea of the cross of Jesus taking our place has been built into the story because that is how God is giving her favor by saying I will restore I will restore to you the relationship that God wants you to have the son the angel says well not only will he save his people from their sins he's going to rule from the throne of David to the Jew that's verse 32 to the Jews David's throne symbolized the restoration of worldwide peace and blessing a condition the Jews called Shalom Shalom means universal peace we long to see the curse removed from the world the birth of this baby says you have pain I will reverse that pain by sitting on the throne of David which is the throne that gives Shalom in my Bible reading this week Joel chapter 2 God makes a promise to Israel and I love it into chapter 2 he said I will restore the years that the locust have eaten the locust were the judgment of God and what God was saying is not only am I going to forgive your sin I'm going to give back I'm going to multiply to you everything that this fallen world has taken from you Job in the Bible after he suffered for so long the very couple verses at the end of the book says his last days were filled with God restoring to him sevenfold what he had lost that is not a promise to you that if you just hang on long enough that you're going to retire wealthy that promise is not about this life at all it's saying that eventually if it's not in eternity but not before eternity God will restore to you everything that this world has taken from you you have pain he will reverse it Isaiah 60 verse 4 of when I read recently that just when I think about some of my friends and the situations they're in just brings me to tears Isaiah 60 verse 4 God promises Israel says your sons and daughters that were carried away we're going to be brought back to you on the shoulders of the strong ones and I don't understand all the imagery here but what I do know is it means is he's promising them you some of you've lost sons and daughters and there is nothing in life more tragic than losing a son or daughter and he's telling them not only am I going to forgive your sin but one day that maybe the strong ones represent the angels one day you step foot in eternity and God brings them back carrying them and everything that you lost on earth every ounce of pain that you went through God reverses it and he restores to you that peace that fullness that you have always craved that is what it means for him to sit on the throne of David it means that bodies destroyed by disease will leap and run in perfect health reputations that have been ruined are restored wrongs are made right in the words of the great author JRR Tolkien who wrote Lord of the Rings the way he said it is in that day all the sad things will become untrue that's weird phraseology and he chose that weird phraseology on purpose because what he means is that is that it's not that we'll forget that these things happened it's not that God will rewrite history it's that the feeling of loss and permanent damage will be removed and restored to us and what's more Tolkien says is we'll see that God was actually using that pain for our good it is because Mary went through these things it is because she went through this unjust death sentence because she went through hardship that seemed impossible because of that she got to understand Jesus and what he would go through she got to understand more of who he was and how he would save so God took her hardship and God reversed it he used it for good all the sad things in her life became untrue and if you walk with Jesus he is doing the same thing we have pain he will reverse it you have disappointment he will erase it nothing is impossible with God hope has come what an important message this year at Christmas you're listening to Pastor JD Greer and Summit Life now JD as we look ahead to a new year finally a lot of people are setting goals for themselves whether that's you know a financial goal a health goal whatever it might be so do you have any thoughts for our listeners as they're kind of looking ahead and starting to make these plans you know I will say that one of the most significant things that I've ever started to do is to take time at the beginning of each year to establish what's important to me and what I think God is leading me in and to chart out a way to grow in those things one thing is for certain if you don't plan you don't take charge of your own life then everybody else takes charge of it for you and so what we're wanting for you to have is a tool that has helped us in establishing some of these priorities so we've got a it's basically a day planner for you it'll help you set health goals relational goals education goals financial goals spiritual goals that will help you grow in your walk with with God I think you'll find it to be a real blessing I know that these kinds of things have been a real help in my own life so I don't want you to miss getting this resource if you go to jdware.com you'll find information on there about how you can get a hold of this and how we can continue to walk with you in your in your own spiritual growth God has blessed you this past year through the teaching on this program will you extend that gift to someone else by donating today your support right now is critical to help us not only finish the year strong but continue this ministry in the coming months and years we'd love to have you partner with us as our way of saying thanks for your support we'll get you a copy of that exclusive resource the 2021 summit life day planner it's a great tool for busy students parents businessmen and women anyone really you can keep track of your deadlines create to-do lists and throughout the planner you'll find bible verses to remind you that God makes all things new we're even including a year-long bible reading plan to help you grow deeper in the gospel throughout the year ask for a copy of the 2021 summit life day planner when you donate today at the suggested amount of 25 or more call 866-335-5220 that's 866-335-5220 or give online at jdgrier.com i'm molly vidovich thank you for joining us today remember to tune in tomorrow when we'll see that christmas isn't just a luxury for those of us who feel at peace it's an answer for those of us who feel afraid that's wednesday on summit life with jd greer