Luke 2:10+11, And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 
	In this familiar Christmas passage, we have a great promise given to mankind by God. He sends forth the good news by His angelic messengers to these shepherds and to all mankind. "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
	The angel began this great announcement with the admonition, Do not be afraid… Because this news was from the throne and heart of the Most Holy and Awesome Lord God Almighty, because this was the declaration of the birth of the long-awaited and anticipated Christ - the Savior of not only Israel, but of all who will call upon Him, the angel proclaimed that all fear was to be set aside and that supreme joy was to fill those hearts and minds and souls. 
	Throughout the scriptures, whenever God sent forth His ministering angels to deliver the message from His heart, those angels had to first of all, calm the fears and anxieties of those receiving the news and then relay the words of God to that soul. This was because the basic nature of mankind is instilled with the knowledge that we are unworthy to behold even the messengers of the Most Holy God, let alone God Himself. There is an innermost dread that our sinful nature will be punished, even in the presence of the heavenly hosts sent to deliver the words and the edicts and the witness of Almighty God.
	Consider one of the great prophets and examples of human faithfulness unto God, Daniel, who prayed and studied the Word of God and testified of God’s Hand in operation despite any harm that might befall him. Even this faithful witness was struck with fear and trembling and lack of strength in the presence of the angelic messenger. Please turn to Dan 10:7-12. Dan 10:7-12, Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, "O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 
	As esteemed as Daniel was in the heart of God, he still was in shock that God would send such a herald to personally deliver the message that he sought from the Lord. He was trembling and weak and in anguish in the presence of this angel who had to give Daniel the strength to hear the message and respond accordingly. Dan 10:18+19, Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. And he said, "O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!" Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, "May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me." 
	This is the background with which the angels of the Lord were generally received by mortal men. And this is an understanding that needs to be in place to realize how amazing it was for God to make known His plan and His purpose concerning the birth of His Only Begotten Son. The foundation was laid throughout the Old Testament accounts unto the very birth of the Christ Child. 
Even in the preparation for the one to make ready the way of the Lord, God manifested His Sovereignty in declaring His peace to Zacharias, the father of John, soon to be called John the Baptist. Please read along with me in Luke 1:11-17. Luke 1:11-17, And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother's womb. "And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. "And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." 
	This was the continued declaration of what was foretold in Isa 40:3-5, A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. "Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." The angel heralded the coming of the Lord’s Christ with the announcement to Zacharias that his very son would be the one to prepare the way for the soon to be born Savior and Lord. 
	Then in Luke 1:26-33, we have the angelic messenger who brought the great news of the heart of God to Mary, declaring that she would be the mother of the so long sought after Christ. Luke 1:26-33, Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And 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 bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." 
	Please note how Gabriel had to calm Mary’s heart with those wonderful words from the throne of God’s grace and mercy. "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. What a wonderful message to receive directly from the heart of God! "Do not be afraid,…for you have found favor with God. This is basically the very message that the shepherds heard on that night of the birth of Christ. It is also the message that we each receive when we turn our hearts to God and respond to the Good News of the salvation that He has established for us in His Son, Jesus Christ. We are not to be afraid any longer for we have found favor with God. It is all by His Mercy and His Grace and His Love that He covers us in the holiness and the righteousness of the death and resurrection of His Only Begotten Son. Just as those words spoke peace into the heart of Mary, so the reality of all that Christ has accomplished speaks peace into our hearts. 
	It was all foretold by the Prophet Isaiah in the declaration of the mighty and wondrous work which Christ has done for you and for me and for all His Chosen People. Let us read it together. Isa 49:1-11. Isa 49:1-11, Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me, And He has also made Me a select arrow; He has hidden Me in His quiver. And He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory." But I said, "I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the Lord, And My reward with My God." And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, in order that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the Lord, And My God is My strength), He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, "Kings shall see and arise, Princes shall also bow down; Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You." Thus says the Lord, "In a favorable time I have answered You, And in a day of salvation I have helped You; And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people, To restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages; Saying to those who are bound, 'Go forth,' To those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' Along the roads they will feed, And their pasture will be on all bare heights. "They will not hunger or thirst, Neither will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; For He who has compassion on them will lead them, And will guide them to springs of water. "And I will make all My mountains a road, And My highways will be raised up. 
	In this passage is vested all the hope and the salvation and the redemption of the nations. We hear the voice of John preparing the way of the Lord as so prophesied. We have the mighty Hand of God directing and manifesting His Grace and His Mercy upon all the nations through His suffering and despised Servant. Not only will His Christ be the Savior of the Children of Israel, but also of all the peoples who will receive the light of the Good News of God’s freely offered salvation. All fear and trembling of any unworthiness to be in the presence of the holiness of God will be absolutely set aside in the light of His perfect and awesome work to bring the very peace of God into each life so vested in Him.
	We see this in the reality of the angelic reminder to the women on that first day of the week when Christ Jesus was resurrected in all the magnificent power of God. Matt 28:1-7, if you would so follow along in reading this marvelous declaration of the joy of the Lord’s manifest work of love and life. Matt 28:1-7, Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow; and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you." 
	All the years and decades and centuries of God at work was fulfilled in the angelic proclamations of not only the birth of the Christ-child, but also His glorious resurrection from the dead. Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. What a joyous manner to set aside all the fear of the ages in humanity’s utter and abject failure to accomplish anything of holiness and righteousness before the Throne of God. Out of the great love with which He so loved us, God made the very provision and the only perfect manner of bringing us into the presence of His glory by the giving of His Son.
	As we are so encouraged and heartened by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:3-9, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. 
	We end this glorious consideration with the very words of the One Whose birth we celebrate this week as recorded in the Book of Revelation. Rev 1:17+18, And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. …Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One. 
Oh the glory that is livingly found in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Our Savior! In Him is no fear of death nor of any other consequence of our old nature. All things have become new in the light of Who He is, now and evermore! This is the reason that the angels so joyously proclaimed His birth with the announcement that mankind has now been absolutely blessed beyond all measure with the birth of the very Son of God. So be it!
	And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Amen.

	This morning’s benediction is Luke 2:10-14. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." Amen.