According to what I have read, the second most frequently repeated command in the Bible is, "Fear Not!" One of those many stories in the Bible where this command is given is in the account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on that first Easter morning. I don't believe that God wants us to live in fear, but wants us to experience deliverance from fear.

We have been focusing our attention in recent weeks on facing down a number of fears.

We may fear a society that is breaking down, living a life of insignificance, rejection from family, friends, work associates, and society. We may fear failure, or have an unhealthy fear of God. We may have fears of sickness, aging, accidents, and death, fear threats to our children and grandchildren, and fear the rise of evil.

As we come to celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ rising from the dead this morning I would like us to think about some of these fears which may have been very real to those first followers of Jesus. The person who they expected to bring them deliverance into a new kingdom had been falsely condemned and then was executed on a cruel Roman cross. If it had not happened earlier in that week, their dreams died with Jesus. As a result, I assume their experience of fears rose.

I.   They may have feared a society that was breaking down. Many of the early followers of Jesus came from a Jewish background and by this time they had grown very tired of living under oppression to the Roman government.

II.   They may have feared living a life of insignificance. The friends of Jesus had invested much of three years following him and learning His way of life. While He had tried to prepare them for His crucifixion it seems that they did not yet understand. They had come to seeing their significance in following Jesus, and then their master was suddenly killed.

III.   They may have feared rejection from family, friends, work associates, and society. In some cases the disciples had faced some rejection earlier as they began to follow Jesus. With His death they would probably have expected more ridicule.

IV.   They may have feared failure. They had floundered again and again. Think of the blunders that they had experienced that Jesus had somehow turned into something good. With their Lord dead, wasn't that the greatest failure? How was He going to overcome the evil forces in government and society lying dead in a tomb?

V.   They may have feared death. Their courageous leader had been executed and as followers of Him they may have expected to be put to death too.

VI.   They may have feared the rise of evil. Jesus had bravely stood up to evil in strength and power. Who would do that now that Jesus was dead since they were not brave enough to do so?

Matthew tells us that two Mary's came to the grave early on Sunday morning. An earthquake had occurred and an angel of the Lord had rolled away the stone from the entrance to the tomb and was sitting upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his garment as white as snow. Instead of finding a closed tomb, or the body of a dead friend they encountered an angel who said, "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." Fear concerning the bad news was a terrible barrier to their dreams. The angel knew this and knew who they were looking for. Soon they came face to face with their resurrected Lord, who also told them, "Do not be afraid."

What about our crushed dreams? Can they live again as otherwise crippling fears are released? "Your presence encourages me to set aside fear,"

Some, however remain in fear at the very thought of Jesus' presence, knowing they are not living in right relationship with Him. If we are living with unconfessed sin in our lives we should be fearful. The Good news is that we do not need to have unconfessed sin. Jesus paid the penalty for your sins and mine when He died upon the cross and He lives today as the victor over sin. Have you confessed your sin and asked Jesus to be your Savior? If not, you can do so today. Perhaps someone present this morning has accepted Jesus as his or her personal Savior, but has allowed sin to come between you and Jesus. Why not renew your relationship with Him now? This is the Good News that can release us from fear.

"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 shall see Him; Behold I have told you." They quickly did as the angel instructed them. Jesus met them and greeted them. They took hold of his feet realizing that He was alive and worshipped Him.

This was not a second hand story. After they heard from the angel they experienced Jesus personally, themselves. After we hear this fantastic good news of the risen Lord we too, can experience Jesus personally. We can realize that we have a future heavenly dream home. But as wonderful as this is, there is more. The future includes abundant life now as we joyously serve the Lord.

Conclusion.

It was June 18, 1815, during the Battle of Waterloo. The French under the command of Napoleon were fighting the Allies under the command of Wellington. The people of England depended on a system of semaphore signals to find out how the battle was going. One of those signal stations was on the tower of the Winchester Cathedral.

Late in the day it flashed the signal: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D--." Just at that moment one of those sudden English fog clouds made it impossible to read the message. The news of the defeat quickly spread throughout the city. The whole countryside was sad and gloomy when they heard the news that their country had lost the war. Suddenly the fog lifted, and the remainder of the message could be read. The message had four words, not two. The complete message was: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D--- T-H-E---E-N-E-M-Y!" It took only a few minutes for the good news to spread. Sorrow was turned into joy, defeat was turned into victory!

So it was when Jesus was laid in the tomb on that first Good Friday afternoon. Hope had died, even in the hearts of Jesus' most loyal friends. After the frightful crucifixion, the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding had crept in on the friends of Jesus. They had read only part of the message. "Christ defeated" was all that they knew. But then, on the third day - Easter Sunday - the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding lifted, and the world received the complete message: "Christ Defeated Death!" Defeat was turned into victory.; death and fear were turned into life. The same can be true for you and me through faith in our risen Christ.

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