Do Not Be Afraid
December 8, 2024
Matthew 1:18-25
During this advent season, we’ve been talking about fear. Last week I shared a couple of fears with you, today, I’ll share another one. I’m afraid of heights. One of the sports I did in high school was swimming. In the summer we would swim outdoors at an olympic sized pool. One of them was in Park Ridge, Illinois; which was also directly in line with one of the runways at O’Hare airport. From the ground, planes looked like they were just a few feet over your head.
The pool had a separate diving area, which also had an olympic 10 meter platform diving board. If you went to the top of that, you felt like you could jump and touch the planes wheels. But I couldn’t go up there! Too much fear of height. Even thinking about jumping up on that platform makes my stomach turn.
Although, with the help of some firemen, I did climb up to the top of our roof, which I could never do before. So, I’m making progress.
It’s amazing what fear can do to us.
I have another fear that I want to share with you. Most people have a fear of not being liked. And because of this, it leads us to do things and struggle in life.
Most pastors have this fear. Most pastors want to please people. You might say, that’s not so bad. But what happens for many of us is this - - - - we become people pleasers! Can any of you relate? We just want to fit in.
I remember when I was in high school, I wanted to wear the right clothes, wear the right shoes, say the right things, get invited to the right parties.
I wasn’t super fashion conscious in high school, but still wanted to fit in. In the 1970's, if you were in, you wore Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Levi’s and Izod shirts.
My mom used to buy knock-offs. You know what I mean? Instead of an alligator on an Izod shirt, there was a hippo, or some other animal. Instead of Givenchy jeans, I wore Rigoletto’s. It wasn’t the real deal. But you tried to fit in as best as you could, even when you didn’t!
I wanted people to like me. I still want people to like me. Even if I say I don’t care, deep down, I do. And as a Christian, I should be secure in Christ. And yet I still want you to like me. And when you don't, it hurts my feelings. When someone leaves, it hurts and I take it personally.
How about you? Wanting people to like us, can lead us to do things we normally would never think of doing. So, what does this all have to do with the Christmas story?
As we look at some events around the birth of Christ, we see 3 different times when God sent angels and the angel said, "do not be afraid."
My hope today is this message will help some people overcome the fear of what other people think about you.
Why does this matter so much? Obsessing about what people think about you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about you. Let me say it again.
The moment you obsess about what they think, it takes you away from what God thinks of you.
And so if you're like me, and you find yourself worrying a little bit more, am I going to live up to their expectations? Am I going to fit in? Is what I post going to be liked by anyone?
We're going to look in Matthew chapter 1, at Joseph’s story. Joseph had a huge decision to make. His decision was between what was easy or what was right.
Joseph was engaged to be married to a young girl named Mary. In those days, engagement was different than in our world.
When someone got engaged, it was actually a binding agreement. The only way to get out of an engagement was to die or to divorce. So when we see that they're engaged, it was kind of like you're married, without living together at this point.
And so Matthew 1:18 kind of gives us the context of the story - - - -
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.
When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
This has to be a nightmare for Joseph. You’re saving yourself for marriage. You're in love with Mary, and she’s saving herself for you, as well. You’re engaged, but you’re not living together. No fun stuff, yet.
And she comes to you and says, guess what? I'm pregnant. Joseph knows this is not my baby.
What do you think he's thinking? “Hey Mary, that’s great news! Congrats! Let’s have a baby shower!”
No way! He’s got to be furious. Who’s the other guy? I’m gonna kill him. Nobody’s supposed to touch my Mary. Did you agree to sleep with him or did he force himself on you? I need to know!!
And Mary's like, no, no, no, no, no. This is good news. You see, an angel of the Lord appeared to me and spoke to me and said, I found favor with God and I’m going to give birth to the Son of God - - - - and I’m going to name Him, Jesus.
Can’t you do any better, Mary? I’m not buying it. How does the Holy Spirit make you pregnant? And besides, what’s the Holy Spirit?
Mary’s either a liar or she’s crazy. And both are not good foundations for a marriage.
If he agrees to marry her, what are other people going to say!? If I go through with this and marry this woman that got pregnant before we were actually married, I'm going to be marked for life and looked at as a fool.
It will be a scandal. How do I explain this to my parents? What about my dad’s business? And mine?
And if he looks at it from her perspective, Mary’s going to be an outcast. She’s going to be rejected and she’ll be alone in the world. Her parent’s may disown her too.
And is the child going to be made fun of? We don't know the details, but what we do know is Joseph has a major decision to make.
Matthew tells us Joseph comes to a conclusion - - - -
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Joseph wanted to be faithful to the law, maybe he talked to his parents and others, yet, because he’s a good man, he didn’t want to disgrace Mary by making this a public issue.
He's trying to get out of this gracefully without making it worse for her.
So I'll quietly divorce her and I can rebuild my life and move on. The question had to linger about what would people think of him.
Maybe I can save my reputation. Maybe I can find someone new. It’ll take time, because I need to trust a girl again.
And he's about to learn one of life's most important lessons. Doing what God wants is often very, very different than doing what we think people want.
We see this in verses 20-21 - - - -
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, DO NOT FEAR to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from 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.”
OK! This is really weird. An angel talked to Mary and she became pregnant . . . and now an angel is talking to me, telling me this is OK!!
But, God, what’s it going to cost me?
Remember what I said earlier about pleasing people? What do we know about the danger of living for the applause of people?
Obsessing about what people think of you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about you. And if you reverse it . . . . it’s really great!
Obsessing about what God thinks about you is the quickest way to forget what people think about you.
When put God first and live for an audience of one, suddenly pleasing God means more than the applause of people. God, I want to put your kingdom first. Your values first, your will first. I want to follow you and fulfill your purpose for me.
It's not about what they want. It's not even about what I want. God, I want to surrender my will to your purpose. How do we do that?
How do we do it when we care about how many likes our post gets, when it breaks our heart when the person we like, unfollows us?
How do we do it when we care about people that we work with, people we go to school with? How do we live for God instead of for people?
God used Mary. She gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God who gave His life for ours. Can you imagine, even though there was that outcome, the grief Mary and Joseph would endure? People would not believe them. They would be scorned and shamed. They had to run for their lives.
People are saying, I did the math, they definitely got pregnant before their wedding. And Joseph and Mary's life illustrates if you're not ready to be criticized for your obedience to God, it could be you’re not ready to be used by God.
How do you do God's will? You have to be ready to take some heat for doing God's will. Invariably, in our world, if you’re not ready to face some criticism for your obedience to God, you’ll struggle following God's will.
That may sound pretty cruel, but if we’re more concerned about the thoughts and feelings of the world, those who stand trying to judge you, but refuse to be held accountable, then, it’s going to be really hard to be obedient to God.
In Galatians 1, Paul tells us - - - -
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:10
That kind of smacks us, doesn’t it?
Can we stop for a moment? Think about it, if I’m trying to please you, then, I’m going to water down the message. I’m going to make it more palatable, easier, less challenging and convicting. If that’s my goal, then I can’t live faithfully for Jesus.
I want you to hear this. Consider who you’re trying to please and why? Now, I need you to be careful here. I’m not saying you shouldn’t want to please your spouse or parents or anyone else in important relationships. But what relationship comes first in your life? Who’s number 1!?
Jesus told us in Luke 14:26 - - - -
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14:26
The literal thought behind this difficult statement is that we must love Jesus first. Love Jesus more than any other relationship we have. And if we do that, then we’re honoring Him AND at the same time, we’re improving every other relationship we have.
WHY? Because Jesus is first! He’s our first love. He has to be!
It’s not about what other people think of you!
Have you ever had to make a decision about work because they were doing something dishonoring to God?
What about when you’re out with friends, and they’re wanting to drink or smoke or do something you know is wrong?
What about when someone gets the answers to the test and they give it to you? What do you do?
What do you do when someone gossips about someone else, and you know what they’ve said is false? Do you rebut them, or just go along with it?
We call that peer pressure, but it’s really about wanting others to like you . . . all at the expense of honoring and pleasing God.
And it’s not always easy!! We have to make the difficult decision to be obedient.
Extraordinary acts of God often start with ordinary acts of obedience. Just obey God. The Savior of the world is born when a couple of teenagers say yes to God.
And it's so hard to imagine how they could say yes without knowing any of the details.
In Luke 2, we read that a man named Simeon told Mary, “a sword is going to pierce her soul over her child.” How’s that for knowing the details?
And so often, whenever God is calling us, we want to know the plans. Give me the details God and then I’ll follow you.
But we saw last week, Mary’s plans for her life didn’t equal God’s purpose for her life. The angel told Mary do not be afraid, and she finally said to the angel - - - -
38 “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” - Luke 1:38
What about us? Can we declare . . . .
God, I'm going to live for you.
I'm gonna date in a way that honors God.
I'm gonna manage my finances in a way that honors God.
I’m not going to watch those programs.
I’m going to pray and read the Bible.
I’m going to get involved.
I'm not gonna take that job even though I need a job because that job's not honoring God.
I’m going to make changes so I can honor God.
I’m going to trust you, God. Mary and Joseph said yes without knowing the details.
I really believe if God told me the details, I would not like them. I’m not sure I could even handle them.
We want to say, God, if I'm going to live for you, I want to see your strategic plan. Let me see step number 10. And God says, you can't see step number 10 until you take steps 1 and 2; then I'll show you 3 and 4; and then I'll show you 5 and 6.
Because you wouldn't take 5 and 6 if you didn't see my faithfulness in 1 and 2.
Let’s go back to verses 20-21 in Matthew 1, the angel proclaimed - - - -
20 “Joseph, son of David, DO NOT FEAR to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from 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.”
Do not fear. FEAR NOT!! Don’t worry about what the world is going to think about you, Joseph! Your assignment, your mission from God is so much bigger than you ever imagined. Have no fear because I am with you.
It’s what we read in Isaiah 41, God told the people - - - -
9 “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off;
10 FEAR NOT, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41
I wonder if Joseph would have been reminded of scripture as he was listening to the angel.
Fear not, Joseph, I’m with you. I’m your God. Don’t be dismayed. Don’t worry, I’ve chosen you. You’re mine. I am your God. I will strengthen you.
I will help you. I will hold you in my hand.
It will turn out better than you expected, so fear not! Don’t listen to those people out there. Don’t worry about what they’re saying. Don’t be a people pleaser.
Yes, my friends, it will be well. It may not be easy. You may lose a friend, but you will know who your real friends. And those friends will walk with you, not abandoning you. They will be there every step of the way.
That’s how the church is supposed to work. It’s how brothers and sisters in Christ work together. Remember, in John 14, Jesus said, I give you a new commandment, love one another as I have loved you.
Finally, we read the end of the story - - - -
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus. - Matthew 1
Joseph did as the Lord commanded. Obedience! That’s so critical in our lives. Be obedient to the call of God. When you do that, what do you have to fear? Nothing!
Let me end with this passage from Romans 8. Frankly, I could end every sermon with this passage - - - -
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?
33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8
Mary and Joseph didn’t know these powerful words from Paul. We do! So, church family, for those who are worshiping online, you have heard these words.
They remind us, more than that, they command us to FEAR NOT!!
Why? Because nobody, nothing, in all creation can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
That’s great news! So, don’t worry about being a people pleaser, because your identity is in Christ and in Christ alone. He affirms you and loves you and died for you! You have an amazing inheritance! It’s not based on the world’s views of you, it’s based on what Christ did for you.
Inspired by a Craig Groeschel series
