Peace Replaces Fear
Isaiah 26:3
We’re just over two weeks away from Christmas – are you getting your hearts ready? We are in a season called Advent, which means “the coming of the Lord.” It’s a time when we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of the Savior, the coming of God into our world to save us.
We could never get from where we were at into God’s world, so God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, came quietly into our world to offer us the only way possible for us to make it into his world.
But, in the days leading up to Jesus coming into our world to bring peace, what we see a ton of in Scripture – is fear. Jesus was coming to bring us supernatural and eternal peace. But all the people who were told he was coming – they were all afraid.
And that may be you and me today while we are preparing to celebrate the Prince of Peace coming into our world, and we may be uncertain, anxious, and afraid. And my prayer for us today is that we would know that Jesus Christ came as Immanuel – God with Us – and he came to bring peace to replace our fear.
Sometimes when we read the word “fear” in the Bible, it means “to be in reverent awe.” But in every reference we’re going to read today, the word fear means “to be afraid, to be scared.” We’re going to look at the responses of four people today to the news from heaven that Jesus Christ was preparing to come into their lives, and when heaven showed up to tell each of these four people that Jesus was coming into their lives, every single one of them was afraid. And to every single one of them God’s Word – direct from heaven – was fear not, do not be afraid, do not fear.
And the good news is for each of these people as they trusted God, God brought peace to replace their fear. And the Lord wants to do the same thing in our lives today.
Let’s start with the father of John the Baptist, Zechariah. Turn over to Luke, Chapter 11. Zechariah was a temple priest in Jerusalem and he was just going about doing his priestly duties. And we read the following in Luke 1:11-13.
Luke 1:11–13 (NLT)
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar (in the Holy Place in the Temple).
12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. (isn’t it interesting for a Priest to be overwhelmed with fear, when Heaven actually shows up, in the Temple?)
13 But the angel (who is later named as Gabriel) said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer . . .
Zechariah – “Jesus is coming” – and you are part of God’s plan.
Do not be afraid; God has heard your prayer.
And ultimately, God’s peace replaced fear in Zechariah’s life.
And then look down at Luke 1:28. When the angel Gabriel was sent to tell Mary about her role in God’s plan, we read in Luke 1:28-30,
Luke 1:28–30 (NLT)
28 Gabriel appeared to her (Mary) and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed (the word means ‘Deeply Troubled’), Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
Young Mary, confused, disturbed, deeply troubled. God’s Word to her is Do not be afraid; you have found favor with God.
And then Gabriel tells Mary God’s plan for her.
Luke 1:31–33 (NLT)
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
And ultimately, God’s great peace replaced Mary’s great fear.
And how about Jesus’ step-dad, Joseph? Turn over to Matthew 1:20. His fiancée had become pregnant, and Joseph (being a good man) was going to divorce Mary quietly.
We read in Matthew 1:20-21,
Matthew 1:20–21 (NLT)
20 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.
21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus (God is salvation), for he will save his people from their sins.”
Do not be afraid Joseph, for this is a mighty work of the Holy Spirit, and immediately God’s peace replaced Joseph’s fear.
Every person involved in the birth of Jesus Christ, from Zechariah to Mary to Joseph; they were all initially fearful. But the group I personally relate to the most are the shepherds. Far from the crucial roles of Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, I can best relate to the shepherds.
Turn back to Luke 2:8. The Angel of the Lord found the shepherds in the fields doing what they do – watching over their flock.
Luke 2:8–11 (NLT)
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
The Angel of the Lord appears among these shepherds, and the glory of the Lord surrounds them and they are terrified! And heaven reassures them, “Do not be afraid!” “I bring good news that will bring you great joy.”
And on that day, heaven brought good news that brings great joy – to us! And Heaven said the same thing to us – “Do not be afraid!”
And then, as if to slam a heavenly exclamation point on the whole thing, we read the following in Luke 2:13-14.
Luke 2:13–14 (NLT)
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
The Savior is coming into the world, and heaven is rejoicing with praise. And heaven still rejoices every time the Savior comes into a single, solitary life.
Luke 15:10 (NLT)
10 . . . there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
Heaven rejoiced when the Savior came into the world, and heaven still rejoices every time the Savior comes into an individual life today.
But why, so often, is our first response to heaven – fear?
To Zechariah, the message from heaven was Do not be afraid – God has heard your prayer.
To Mary, the message from heaven was Do not be afraid – you have found favor with God.
To Joseph, the message from heaven was Do not be afraid – for this is a work of the Holy Spirit.
To the shepherds, the message from heaven was Do not be afraid – Jesus brings good news that will bring you great joy.
Jesus is coming into your life. And he’s coming into your life right in the midst of your fears and your uncertainties and your distress, and he’s coming into your life to save you. And, he’s coming into your life to give you his peace to replace your fear.
Jesus came into our world to bring us peace. Peace WITH God by paying for our sin and the Peace OF God that drives out fear. This is the peace that Jesus Christ came to bring.
But the Bible is crystal clear. This supernatural peace of God that replaces our fear can only be experienced by us if we are fully and completely trusting Jesus as our Savior and Lord, in all things.
The Prophet Isaiah made it clear that God would replace our fears with his peace. Isaiah 9:6 is the famous verse about the birth of Christ.
Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)
6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
God’s answer to the fear and uncertainty of this life is to give us Jesus Christ!
And the government of our lives is on his shoulders, and he is our Wonderful Counselor, and he is our Mighty God, and he is our Everlasting Father, and he is our Prince of Peace. That is what Jesus Christ will be to us – personally – as we learn to fully and completely trust him with our lives.
We can trust him to govern our lives. We can trust his miraculous counsel. We can trust him to be our mighty God. We can trust him to be the source of our eternal life, and we can trust him to be our Prince of Peace. And the next verse (Isaiah 9:7) says of the increase of that peace there will be no end.
Guys, as the celebration of the coming of the Prince of Peace approaches, can I ask, are we allowing Jesus to bring his heavenly peace into our lives? Are we trusting the Lord completely and not being distracted by our fears?
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
The perfect peace that Jesus Christ came to bring into your life… the supernatural, unexplainable, peace of God, it is available only to those who are fully trusting him. It is available only to those whose thoughts are fixed on him; whose mind is stayed on him.
Look at the same verse in the Amplified Bible.
Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)
3 You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
Jesus came to give us perfect peace if we will learn to keep our mind stayed on him, and if we will learn to trust him completely.
Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds all learned to trust God completely. Jesus came right into the middle of their fear and uncertainty. And his peace replaced their fear as they learned to fully trust him.
And Jesus will come – right into the middle of our fear and uncertainty. And his peace will replace our fear as we learn to fully trust him.
Jesus came into this world as Immanuel to make a way for us to say personally, “God is with me!”
I will not fear.
I will not fear the uncertainty, the unknown, the uncharted path that lies before me. Fear not; God is with you.
Luke 2:11 says (ESV)
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And if you will receive him as Savior and learn to trust him more as your Lord. The peace that Jesus came to bring will replace your fear.
And Immanuel, God With Us, will say to you what he says to his people in Isaiah 41:10.
Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
10 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.
Guys, as the celebration of Christmas approaches, let’s allow the Peace of God that passes understanding to replace the fears that we face today.
We could never get from where we were at into God’s world, so God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, came quietly into our world to offer us the only way possible for us to make it into his world.
But, in the days leading up to Jesus coming into our world to bring peace, what we see a ton of in Scripture – is fear. Jesus was coming to bring us supernatural and eternal peace. But all the people who were told he was coming – they were all afraid.
And that may be you and me today while we are preparing to celebrate the Prince of Peace coming into our world, and we may be uncertain, anxious, and afraid. And my prayer for us today is that we would know that Jesus Christ came as Immanuel – God with Us – and he came to bring peace to replace our fear.
Sometimes when we read the word “fear” in the Bible, it means “to be in reverent awe.” But in every reference we’re going to read today, the word fear means “to be afraid, to be scared.” We’re going to look at the responses of four people today to the news from heaven that Jesus Christ was preparing to come into their lives, and when heaven showed up to tell each of these four people that Jesus was coming into their lives, every single one of them was afraid. And to every single one of them God’s Word – direct from heaven – was fear not, do not be afraid, do not fear.
And the good news is for each of these people as they trusted God, God brought peace to replace their fear. And the Lord wants to do the same thing in our lives today.
Let’s start with the father of John the Baptist, Zechariah. Turn over to Luke, Chapter 11. Zechariah was a temple priest in Jerusalem and he was just going about doing his priestly duties. And we read the following in Luke 1:11-13.
Luke 1:11–13 (NLT)
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar (in the Holy Place in the Temple).
12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. (isn’t it interesting for a Priest to be overwhelmed with fear, when Heaven actually shows up, in the Temple?)
13 But the angel (who is later named as Gabriel) said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer . . .
Zechariah – “Jesus is coming” – and you are part of God’s plan.
Do not be afraid; God has heard your prayer.
And ultimately, God’s peace replaced fear in Zechariah’s life.
And then look down at Luke 1:28. When the angel Gabriel was sent to tell Mary about her role in God’s plan, we read in Luke 1:28-30,
Luke 1:28–30 (NLT)
28 Gabriel appeared to her (Mary) and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed (the word means ‘Deeply Troubled’), Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
Young Mary, confused, disturbed, deeply troubled. God’s Word to her is Do not be afraid; you have found favor with God.
And then Gabriel tells Mary God’s plan for her.
Luke 1:31–33 (NLT)
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
And ultimately, God’s great peace replaced Mary’s great fear.
And how about Jesus’ step-dad, Joseph? Turn over to Matthew 1:20. His fiancée had become pregnant, and Joseph (being a good man) was going to divorce Mary quietly.
We read in Matthew 1:20-21,
Matthew 1:20–21 (NLT)
20 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.
21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus (God is salvation), for he will save his people from their sins.”
Do not be afraid Joseph, for this is a mighty work of the Holy Spirit, and immediately God’s peace replaced Joseph’s fear.
Every person involved in the birth of Jesus Christ, from Zechariah to Mary to Joseph; they were all initially fearful. But the group I personally relate to the most are the shepherds. Far from the crucial roles of Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, I can best relate to the shepherds.
Turn back to Luke 2:8. The Angel of the Lord found the shepherds in the fields doing what they do – watching over their flock.
Luke 2:8–11 (NLT)
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
The Angel of the Lord appears among these shepherds, and the glory of the Lord surrounds them and they are terrified! And heaven reassures them, “Do not be afraid!” “I bring good news that will bring you great joy.”
And on that day, heaven brought good news that brings great joy – to us! And Heaven said the same thing to us – “Do not be afraid!”
And then, as if to slam a heavenly exclamation point on the whole thing, we read the following in Luke 2:13-14.
Luke 2:13–14 (NLT)
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
The Savior is coming into the world, and heaven is rejoicing with praise. And heaven still rejoices every time the Savior comes into a single, solitary life.
Luke 15:10 (NLT)
10 . . . there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
Heaven rejoiced when the Savior came into the world, and heaven still rejoices every time the Savior comes into an individual life today.
But why, so often, is our first response to heaven – fear?
To Zechariah, the message from heaven was Do not be afraid – God has heard your prayer.
To Mary, the message from heaven was Do not be afraid – you have found favor with God.
To Joseph, the message from heaven was Do not be afraid – for this is a work of the Holy Spirit.
To the shepherds, the message from heaven was Do not be afraid – Jesus brings good news that will bring you great joy.
Jesus is coming into your life. And he’s coming into your life right in the midst of your fears and your uncertainties and your distress, and he’s coming into your life to save you. And, he’s coming into your life to give you his peace to replace your fear.
Jesus came into our world to bring us peace. Peace WITH God by paying for our sin and the Peace OF God that drives out fear. This is the peace that Jesus Christ came to bring.
But the Bible is crystal clear. This supernatural peace of God that replaces our fear can only be experienced by us if we are fully and completely trusting Jesus as our Savior and Lord, in all things.
The Prophet Isaiah made it clear that God would replace our fears with his peace. Isaiah 9:6 is the famous verse about the birth of Christ.
Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)
6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
God’s answer to the fear and uncertainty of this life is to give us Jesus Christ!
And the government of our lives is on his shoulders, and he is our Wonderful Counselor, and he is our Mighty God, and he is our Everlasting Father, and he is our Prince of Peace. That is what Jesus Christ will be to us – personally – as we learn to fully and completely trust him with our lives.
We can trust him to govern our lives. We can trust his miraculous counsel. We can trust him to be our mighty God. We can trust him to be the source of our eternal life, and we can trust him to be our Prince of Peace. And the next verse (Isaiah 9:7) says of the increase of that peace there will be no end.
Guys, as the celebration of the coming of the Prince of Peace approaches, can I ask, are we allowing Jesus to bring his heavenly peace into our lives? Are we trusting the Lord completely and not being distracted by our fears?
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
The perfect peace that Jesus Christ came to bring into your life… the supernatural, unexplainable, peace of God, it is available only to those who are fully trusting him. It is available only to those whose thoughts are fixed on him; whose mind is stayed on him.
Look at the same verse in the Amplified Bible.
Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)
3 You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
Jesus came to give us perfect peace if we will learn to keep our mind stayed on him, and if we will learn to trust him completely.
Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds all learned to trust God completely. Jesus came right into the middle of their fear and uncertainty. And his peace replaced their fear as they learned to fully trust him.
And Jesus will come – right into the middle of our fear and uncertainty. And his peace will replace our fear as we learn to fully trust him.
Jesus came into this world as Immanuel to make a way for us to say personally, “God is with me!”
I will not fear.
I will not fear the uncertainty, the unknown, the uncharted path that lies before me. Fear not; God is with you.
Luke 2:11 says (ESV)
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And if you will receive him as Savior and learn to trust him more as your Lord. The peace that Jesus came to bring will replace your fear.
And Immanuel, God With Us, will say to you what he says to his people in Isaiah 41:10.
Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
10 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.
Guys, as the celebration of Christmas approaches, let’s allow the Peace of God that passes understanding to replace the fears that we face today.