Series: Out Of Your Mind [#2]
HOW COULD YOU BELIEVE THAT?
Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38
Introduction:
Through the years, I have been told some unbelievable things. I mean, you hear it and you think, “How stupid does this person think I am”? Teenagers are especially good at telling unbelievable stories.
Romans 12:2
The Christmas story and the Christian life hold many stories and statements that seem unbelievable. There are many people who wonder, “How in the world could an intelligent person believe the things found in the Bible”? The scarier part of this story is when things happen to Christians and they began to doubt God and His Word. I have to tell you that I have had more than 1 doubt about God and His Word and as a Christian, you feel that you can’t tell anyone.
When something shatters your world and you just aren’t sure about God, I want you to think back on this portion of the Christmas story.
Luke 1:26-38
You strengthen your relationship with God by…
1. Remembering your faith.
Faith is believing something although your 5 senses cannot pick up on it. When you begin to doubt the things of the Lord, I want you to remember what brought you to God in the first place.
Mary (a teenage girl), had been raised in a Jewish family. She knew that the Jewish people were awaiting the Messiah; but she never imagined it would be her that would give birth to the Messiah. There are times when the promises of the Bible seem utterly impossible and more like a “fairy tale” than anything else. You may be thinking, “I can’t believe he said that out loud”; but you have thought it before as well. When I hear things like, “With the power of the Holy Spirit you will do greater things than Jesus Christ did” just seem ridiculous.
Mary saw an angel, was told that she was going to be the mother of the Messiah, and found out that Elizabeth was going to have a child in her old age. Sounds pretty crazy if you ask me. “Which part?”- You ask. Every part. After the Angel Gabriel gave his message to Mary, he gave her the key to remember when you are struggling with the Lord.
Luke 1:37
This is the key- God will always do what He says He will do and one of those things is that He will never leave you or forsake you.
Matthew 1:18-19
You strengthen your relationship with God by…
2. Being humble.
I will tell you that if you want to flip out a man, make him think that his wife or girlfriend is cheating on him. It’s a pretty easy conclusion to come to. Your fiancé becomes pregnant and you know that the child is not yours- She’s cheating on you.
I want to bring this to your attention, because Joseph could have had Mary killed right then and there; and no one would have questioned his actions. Instead, he chose to deal with it quietly and not destroy her life. That is humbleness. When you put yourself at the mercy of others and allow yourself to be exposed, then you are being humble.
The only way that you are going to grow in your relationship with God is that you are humble. You can never learn a lesson until you are humble.
James 4:10
Matthew 1:20-25
You strengthen your relationship with God by…
3. Being obedient.
I know you are saying, “This is one of your points every week”; and you are correct. God says that there are 2 ways that we show Him our love. We show Him our love by being obedient to Him and by loving others.
Joseph humbled himself, not worrying about what everyone was saying. He simply took Mary as his wife and waited until she had Jesus before they consummated their marriage. He also gave Jesus His name just as he was told to do.
Conclusion:
To most people, the idea of a baby being born by a virgin and growing up perfect is just a “fairy tale”. Even more unbelievable is that this perfect man became a sinner for us and then defeated death, Hell, sin, and Satan. While it may seem hard for people to understand, my entire life is built on the hope of Jesus being born of a virgin, living a sinless life, and having victory for me.
If you are doubting God in your life, I want you to take these 3 things and try to live by them. Remember your faith, be humble, and be obedient.
