Don’t Kill My Baby
Joel 2:28
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Matt 1:18-21, 24 (20) Geneva Version 1599
18 now the birth of Jesus Christ was thus, when as his mother Mary was betrothed to joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 then Joseph her husband being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 but while he thought these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, the son of David, fear not to take Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.
21 and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
24 then joseph being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had enjoined him, and took his wife.
“The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without god, heaven without hell.”—William Booth (Methodist preacher who founded the salvation army)
Babycenter.com has a spot where you can track your baby’s development. You can see week by week where your baby is at. Could you imagine week by week tracking of where you are at spiritually? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could track how we were doing in fulfilling our purpose?
Mary and Joseph were forced to leave their home and travel a long distance during the last days of her pregnancy. Even though it was “man” who forced them to leave Galilee and go to Bethlehem of Judea to be born, it was God that orchestrated the events. Keep in mind, that Judea (Judah) means praise. I would say it is safe to say that GOD WILL OFTEN CAUSE US TO LEAVE THE COMFORTS OF OUR HOME. WHEN WE DO THIS, WE HAVE TWO OPTIONS: Grumble and Complain or Praise Him and Seek Him. GOD LED MARY AND JOSEPH INTO THE RIGHT PLACE FOR WHAT HE WAS WANTING TO BIRTH IN THEM. They went to JUDAH (praise) and gave birth. Had they grumbled and complained and balked at what was happening…who knows what would have happened.
POINT—God will birth in us a vision and answers when we enter into a spirit of PRAISE.
Luke 2:4-7-- 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
Sadly, when God births in us a vision, the people we are closest to are either
a. Embarrassed by what we are attempting to birth
i. They may want to divorce themselves from us so that they will not be shamed by others—kind of like guilt by association. IF THEY HANG AROUND WITH THE WACKY VISIONARY CHRISTIAN, THEN THAT MIGHT HURT THEIR STREET CRED.
1. Joseph wanted to divorce himself from Mary—but he was a righteous man (19), he knew the voice of the lord. So while Joseph was resting, God sent an angel to him. NEVER TAKE ADVICE FROM SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT SPEND QUALITY TIME IN PRAYER AND IN PRAISE BEFORE THE LORD
ii. They may want us to abort what God is attempting to birth inside of us
1. False “leaders” will try to discourage us.
Micah 3:5-7—Micah prophesied that one day, the false prophets would be shamed by their actions. The only way to truly be sure that we are not embarrassed is to be true to our calling, and to hear and know the voice of the lord.
Micah 3:5-7 --Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They cry, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be ashamed
And the diviners will be embarrassed.
Indeed, they will all cover their [a]mouths
Because there is no answer from God.
2. Always be careful who you confide in.
3. Ex 4:21—Pharaoh refused to let God’s children go—so God killed all the firstborns. If we don’t support someone else’s baby, ours won’t be supported.
b. Supportive of us and encouraging us—kind of like an armor bearer
i. Without question, Joseph's leading quality was his righteousness. He trusted God and in turn, God trusted him with His precious Son. Joseph did not always know all the details, but he acted in faith knowing God would lead him to the next step.
ii. Without a doubt, JOSEPHS PLANS JUST GOT DERAILED
iii. Discovering how a person handles life when they are placed in an unexpected situation will tell us a lot about a person. Life always hands us problems, but how do we handle life’s problems? Joseph responded in a way that showed his true character. For a man that seems to not have much of a part in the Bible, God used him in an incredible way.
Joseph had to have the right type of character to raise God’s son. God would not have picked just any person. Joseph was supportive of what was being birthed.
Conclusion
If you feel as if you have not been impregnated with a vision or purpose from God, you may need to ask yourself…
1. Are you supporting someone else’s vision?
2. Are you going where God wants you to go without complaining?
3. Are you in a place of praise?
4. Are you spending enough time resting before the Lord so that you know His voice?
*With all the information that is available for consumption, some of my sermons may be influenced by what i have read or heard. Anything that is posted is available to be used by all. The Lord gives abundantly and may you be blessed!
