WHEN GOD'S IN THE MIX!
John Chapman…December 19, 2004
Read: Matt 1:18-25 & Prayer
Illus: A group of first graders got together and decided to write their own version of the Nativity. It was more modern than the traditional drama. Of course, there were the familiar members of the cast: Joseph, the shepherds, the three wise men, the star, and an angel propped up in the background. But Mary was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly behind the bales of hay could be heard some loud moans and groans. Evidently Mary was in labor.
Soon the doctor arrived dressed in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck. Joseph, with a look of relief on his face, takes the doctor straight to Mary and then starts pacing back and forth. After a few moments the “doctor” emerges with a big smile on his face.
“Congratulations, Joseph,” he says. “It’s a God!” (from Mikey’s Funnies)
All too often we forget that. That baby, born in the manger, was God-in-the-flesh! More and more “God” is being taken out of everything, from the pledge of allegiance to the classroom where we can’t even use the Declaration of Independence in a history class because it speaks of a “Creator.” We now have “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” because it speaks of the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LEAVE GOD OUT?
Let’s look at Joseph’s first response in today’s scripture to the news that Mary was pregnant…”and not wanting to disgrace her, (he) planned to send her away secretly.” He didn’t consult God.
His immediate solution to the situation was divorce! He thought he would simply divorce Mary quietly so nobody would ridicule him because it wasn't his baby. He left God out of the equation!
He discovers that Mary is pregnant…It's not his child, it couldn't be. Divorce.
Joseph's first reaction was one of fear!
What will people think? What will people say?
WITHOUT GOD Joseph experienced
Fear & Anxiety
The end result of which would have been divorce. Today he’d have another option…abortion!
Fear is a crippler. When fear, anxiety and insecurity rule our lives:
It damages our health
Causes us to be more self-oriented as we focus on our fears
Stunts our growth because we're afraid of new things, the unknown
Fear causes us to distrust others and misinterpret their actions
And fear causes us to do things not necessarily in our best interest.
Psychologists have given names to almost every fear (or phobia) under the sun. For example, if you have a fear of…
…crowds-then you have ochlophobia. …darkness-you have nyctophobia.
…failure-you have kakorrhaphiophobia. …loneliness-you have monophobia.
…marriage-you have gamophobia. …poverty-you have peniaphobia.
…responsibility-you have hypengyophobia.
…ridicule (being made fun of)-you have categelophobia.
…God-theophobia. …death-thanataphobia.…hell-hadephobia.
A John Hopkins University doctor says, "We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact."
What about us? You and me?
Problems come up in the family; in our jobs.
Problems with our spouse, our children, our parents, our bosses or co-
workers.
Fear and anxiety come in and we often seek solutions to these problems
WITHOUT GOD!
We fight with each other…We blame everyone else…We don’t talk to each other
We promote our interests over others….or We run away from the problem
Without God, the problems simply escalate.
GOD ALWAYS HAS THE ANSWER, THE SOLUTION
God knew that fear was a problem for Joseph so he sent an angel to him who said "don't be afraid."
We read over in Luke 1:30 that God also sent the angel Gabriel to Mary and his message was "Do not be afraid."
God sends us this same message through the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 1:7…
7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
But even greater than that….
HE SENT HIS SON…who told us
Lo, I am with you always, even to the ends of the world. (Matt. 28:20)
He is ALWAYS here with us.
THE PROBLEMS ARISE WHEN WE DON’T’ CONSULT HIM!
The Bible tells us:
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
Guard against what? Against worry, anxiety and fear!
WHEN WE TRY TO DO IT WITHOUT GOD…THE OUTCOME MAY BE DISASTROUS! If Joseph had divorced Mary…sent her away….Jesus would have grown up without the "right" to the throne. That right HAD to come through the male line…through Joseph.
That's what Matthew had shown us in the first 17 verses of chapter 1. Jesus, through Joseph, though not his biological father, was in the line of David and thus had a right to the throne of David.
"WITHOUT GOD" JUST DOESN'T WORK!
The Bible says in John 15:5:
5"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him,
he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
On the other hand
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Phil 4:13
THE REASON FOR THIS IS IN THE BIBLE TOO!
3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. John 1:3
HE IS THE CENTER OF OUR VERY EXISTENCE!!!
BUT…WHEN GOD'S "IN THE MIX"…MIRACLES HAPPEN!
20But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matt 1:20, 21
GOD TOLD JOSEPH MARRY HER and HE OBEYED GOD
24And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
GOD TELLS US…
Accept my Son! Trust Him. Believe Him. He says, “I have the solution to all your problems; your family problems, your relationship problems, your work problems.”
JOSEPH BELIEVED…GOD ERASED HIS FEARS…JOSEPH ACTED
James 2:17, 26
17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Philippians 4:9
9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
WHAT IS THE RESULT OF THAT KIND OF OBEDIENCE TO GOD?
IN JOSEPH'S CASE, THE SAVIOR WAS BORN!
Jesus! The One who would "save His people from their sins."
Emmanuel…meaning God with us!
WHEN WE ACCEPT GOD'S PERFECT CHRISTMAS PRESENT, JESUS…
WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE'LL EVER NEED !
· FORGIVENESS…………..1 John 1:9
· FREEDOM FROM SIN
"Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the Son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)
· ANSWERS TO PRAYER John 15:7 (when we "abide" in Him)
· HIS PRESENCE in our lives
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in (alt: among) you." (John 14:16-17)
· A HOME IN HEAVEN John 14:1-3
1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
· ETERNAL LIFE John 3:16
Won’t you consider today doing everything WITH GOD?
Don’t leave him out of your relationships, your problems, your family, your job.
Let God, through Jesus Christ, whose birthday we celebrate…handle your
problems for you.
Trust Him with your life….After all, he made you and he redeemed you from a life of sin.
Let us pray.
Song: O Come All Ye Faithful
Won’t you respond to Him in obedience today and
Receive the greatest Gift ever given, Jesus Christ, our Savior
Along with His promises of
· Forgiveness
· Perfect Love and
· His Presence in your life
And the promise that one day you will go home to be with Him for eternity in that place we all know as heaven.
Christian – trust Him today to take your fears, your worries and anxieties. Lean on Him for that power and sound mind that He has given you. Lay your problems on the altar today. Give them all to Him. Come…