Matthew 1:18-25
HOW TO LIVE A LIFE THAT WILL CHANGE THE WORLD
INTRODUCTION
Isn’t it true that a person’s real character comes out when they’re under stress? And stressful times can either be moments of growth or of devastation - or both.
Take the Aussie bush for example. A fire (stress) can bring about renewed growth in the bush – in fact for some plants fire is essential for survival.
Well Joseph knew about stress. In the Christmas story we see him faced with an enormous decision. And we see his true character revealed.
You see, Joseph’s choices at this point in history would not only transform his life, but would literally change the world forever.
In Joseph’s life we see an example of how people can live lives that will change the world.
1. Be of good character (v19a) (Righteous)
…Joseph her husband was a righteous man…(v19a)
The first thing we discover about Joseph is that God chose to work through him because he was a righteous man (v19a). Not righteous in the sense of being holier-than-thou, arrogant, smug and pompous. Not “self-righteous” – but fit for God’s purposes because he was beyond reproach.
That is, Joseph was a man of good character (OHP).
In other words Joseph kept the spirit of the law and conducted himself well in the community. And some words that might describe this kind of person are good, just, blameless, upright, honest, respectable, moral, and decent. And each of these qualities are matters of the heart.
Elsewhere in the Bible the Apostle Paul urges Believers to put on the armour of God. One of the items is “..the breastplate of righteousness.. ” (Ephesians 6:14).
Now Paul had the armor of a Roman soldier in mind. And a Roman soldier wore a breastplate to protect his heart in battle.
So if we want to be people who are used by God to change the world, we need to start by guarding our hearts. We need to be righteous; we need to be above reproach; we need to be of good character.
2. Be Compassionate (v19b)
(Mk 10:27; 2 Cor 2:14-15; Mt 5:7)
Now because Joseph was a man of good character, it shouldn’t surprise us to find that he was also a man of compassion (OHP).
We read in v19b that Joseph did not want to expose Mary to “public disgrace,” and that he “had in mind to divorce her quietly”.
The Christian writer J.I. Packer once said, “Only restraining and renewing grace enables anyone to keep the commandments.”
Joseph showed immense restraint here. Can you imagine how he must have felt when he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was pregnant? Furious? Betrayed? etc. There were probably a plethora of commandments Joseph wanted to break. Like spreading rumours about Mary, or perhaps even killing her (which he had the right to do in their culture – by stoning).
But Joseph must have been a man ruled by his character not his emotions. So God found Joseph to be a fit agent for change in the world because he was emotionally stable; a man characterized by thoughtful, deliberate and controlled compassion.
The ancient Greek writer Epictetus said, “No person is free who is not master of himself.” Joseph must have mastered his emotions enough to treat Mary with compassion.
I should explain that in ancient Israelite culture marriages were often arranged and an engagement was as good as marriage – though you didn’t live together. It was a bit like defacto relationships in Australian culture today – these relationships were legally recognized and so there were official obligations to each other. That’s why a certificate of divorce was necessary.
What strikes me about Joseph’s actions here though is the extraordinary depth of his compassion. I must say, he’s a better man than me – to keep his cool and not unleash the full extent of his wrath on what looked like an unfaithful wife.
When most other men would have just lost it, Joseph has a God moment. It kinda reminds me of a promise Jesus once gave, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27). Joseph’s compassionate response to this devastating news is quite simply a miracle from God.
And it’s the kind of response we would expect from someone God was using to change the world. His response is so unworldly that it must be of God. And isn’t that how Believer’s should be characterized? The Apostle Paul wrote that Believers …
2CO 2:15 are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
A Believer’s compassion must be of a depth that is so unworldly that onlookers can’t but admit that there is a God at work in our lives. A God who enables us to love with a depth of compassion unknown anywhere else in our world.
Such depth of compassion is like a beautiful aroma drawing people to Christ.
Are we characterized by that? Is our church?
3. Be Considerate (v20a) (Thoughtful)
(Rom 12:2; Eph 4:17-18)
Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not trying to paint Joseph out to be some spiritual super-hero. He was human like the rest of us – this was a God moment remember – God was at work through Joseph. And we need to know that this probably wasn’t Joseph’s instant reaction. He may well have mulled over his response for weeks, possibly even months. But we do know he wrestled with the situation in his mind because we’re told in v20 that he “considered” the situation before he acted.
You see, if we want to live a life that will change the world we need to be of good character, we need to be compassionate, but we also need to be considerate (OHP). That is, people who are thoughtful and deliberate and not foolish or un-prepared.
The unfortunate story of Carlos Carrasco might help us to see the point here. Carrasco was 24 when he was sentenced to 10 years probation for the bungled burglary of a bottle shop. During the break-in Carrasco cut his hand badly while making a hole in the roof. He tried to throw a bottle of whisky through the hole he had made, but he missed and the bottle came smashing down on the floor setting off the burglar alarm. He then fell on the bottle cutting himself again. Scrambling out of the store and across the roof, he fell to the ground and left a trail of blood from the store to his home down the street (“1001 More Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking,” 1998, M. Hodgin).
The point is, when we’re faced with a sticky situation we need to be able to think clearly. God uses people to change the world when they are willing to take time to consider the consequences of their actions before they act. Poor Carlos Carrasco does not fit this description!
(Rom 12:2; Eph 4:17-18)
If we read the passage right we see that Joseph’s decision to “divorce Mary quietly” was not spontaneous. He made that decision after he had taken time to consider his options.
In Christian circles today we might say that Joseph took the time to count the cost of discipleship. “What is it costing me to follow Jesus?” Jesus spoke about this when he said ….
"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ (Luke 14:28-30)
If we want to be growing, as disciples of Jesus Christ, in our ability to impact and change the world, we need to count the cost of discipleship. Sometimes we just need to take time out, sit down and consider whether or not we are prepared to pay it – to consider the consequences of the choices we make. Joseph had to do this – what was it going to cost him to respond to Mary in a godly way?
This has a lot to do with our effectiveness in changing our world. You see Jesus said,
For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
That means, if we say we are Christian (laying the foundation), but then don’t live it – we have begun to build and then not been able to finish. We won’t be able to impact our world – and people will ridicule us.
Have you really, seriously considered the cost of following Jesus? Only Believers who have, and who have accepted the price, are truly effective in changing their world.
4. Be Connected (v20b)
So if we want to live lives that change the world we need to be of good character; we need to be compassionate; and we need to be considerate.
We also need to be connected to God and to the church (OHP).
People can make some difference without being connected to God or the church (e.g. Sir Bob Geldof and “Band Aid” in the mid ‘80’s). But only true Believers with the right connections can make an eternal difference (i.e. We can give people food, but without Christ they’re still going to hell).
To live a life that will really change the world we need to be connected.
First of all we need to be connected to God.
In v 20 an angel appears to Joseph and identifies him as, “Joseph, son of David.” You see Joseph was a direct descendant of King David (of “David and Goliath” fame). In other words, Joseph was an Israelite, a Jew, and these were God’s chosen people – Joseph was connected to God because of who he was. You see, to be an Israelite was to be a man of Faith.
But Joseph wasn’t just any old Israelite. Every Israelite was connected to God; simply because they were God’s chosen people.
No. Joseph had a special connection to God. You see, Joseph was a son of King David. Joseph was descended from the royal family of Israel. Joseph had a special family connection.
Not only was Joseph connected to God because of who he was, he was connected to God because he was part of the royal family.
If we want to live lives that will change our world we must be connected to the family as well. And who is God’s family? The local church.
You can be a “Lone Ranger” Christian – but you probably won’t have much success in changing the world. Together we can.
What many Christian Believers fail to realize is that their local church is God’s primary channel for changing our world. Not individual Christians doing their own thing, but God’s people sharing every part of their lives in the exciting pursuit of spreading the gospel, touching and changing lives.
If you want to live a life that will change the world you’ve got to be connected – to God and to his people, the church.
5. Be Courageous (v20c)
Of good character; Compassionate; Considerate; Connected. These are the qualities you need if you want to change the world. Add to these courage (OHP).
If you’ve played the latest Playstation 2 game, “Kingdom Hearts” or if you’ve seen the ad, you’ll know the catch phrase “Courage is the key”.
Believers with Kingdom hearts who want to live lives that change the world also know that “courage is the key.”
In v 20 the angel says to Joseph, “… do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.” In hindsight we know that Joseph wasn’t afraid to make Mary his wife. He lived a life that changed the world because he took the advice of an angel – God’s messenger – showed immense courage and married Mary – to become the earthly father of the Messiah.
Now think about that. Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. Any parent will tell you that raising ordinary children takes courage. Imagine taking on the responsibility of raising the Messiah!!
Now you know how courageous Joseph’s decision was.
And Believers with Kingdom hearts who want to live lives that change the world know that “courage is the key;” they are fearless.
So is fear holding you back from living a life that will change the world?
Showing courage now may cause an eternal shift that could change the world for you or for someone close to you. Have a kingdom heart – show courage.
6. Be Confident (v 20d-23) (A person of faith)
But don’t do it on your own. You see, Joseph was a man of courage, but his confidence was in God (OHP).
And confidence can go a long way in changing our world.
“An example of this can be seen in Russia during an attempted coup. Army tanks had surrounded the government building housing President Boris Yeltsin and his pro-democracy supporters. High-level military leaders had ordered the tank commander to open fire and kill Yeltsin. As the army rolled into position, Yeltsin strode from the building, climbed up on a tank, looked the commander in the eye, and thanked him for coming over to the side of democracy. Later the commander admitted that they had not intended to go over to his side. Yeltsin had appeared so confident and commanding that the soldiers talked after he left and decided to join him.” (Cited by John Maxwell in “Developing the Leaders Around You,” 1995, pp54-55)
Confidence can go a long way in changing our world.
But Joseph’s confidence was more than just human front. His confidence came from his relationship to God. Of course the biblical word for this is “faith.” Faith is confidence in God that he will do what he has said he will do (OHP).
Matthew points out in vs22-23 that all these events so far …
…took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”
The Prophet the Angel is quoting is Isaiah (7:14), who 500 years before the birth of Jesus had predicted that the Messiah would be born of a virgin.
So in accepting the message from the angel and taking Mary to be his wife, Joseph showed that he had confidence that God would do what he said he would do through the prophet Isaiah – Joseph had faith.
And if we want to live lives that will change the world we must have faith too – we must have confidence that God will do what he said he will do.
Are you believing God to work out his purpose for change in our world through you? Joseph’s example proves that we can.
7. Be Cooperative (v24) (Be surrendered and sensitive to the Spirit)
So, living a life that will change our world requires us to be of good character, compassionate, considerate, connected, courageous and confident.
But unless we fully cooperate with God nothing will really change (OHP).
The primary reason Joseph was able to be used as an agent for change by God, is that he surrendered his life completely to the will of God.
We’re told in v24 that, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”
He surrendered his desires to the desires of God.
If we want to live lives that change the world then we must be ready and willing to surrender everything to God and cooperate with him in achieving his purposes.
Think about it. What have you got to lose?
Joseph may well have had in mind to marry Mary and to settle down and live a quiet life as a carpenter in Nazareth. He was hardly seeking greatness – I don’t think he was thinking that we would be sitting here 2000 years later talking about him and the great thing God had done through him.
But Joseph gave up the plans he had for his life to become the earthly father role model for Jesus the Christ – the Son of God – the Saviour of the Universe – our Lord!! Look at what little Joseph gave up, but in it’s place he was blessed with greatness!! Are we prepared to settle for second best just because we are unwilling to surrender our tiny plans?
We would be fools to resist God’s plans and purposes for us. True greatness awaits those who are willing to surrender themselves fully to the will of God.
The Bible says,
JNH 2:8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
What are you clinging to that’s preventing you from living a life that will change the world? How is God asking you to cooperate with his purposes?
People who change the world live lives that are surrendered to God’s purposes.
Churches that change the world are surrendered to God’s purposes.
CONCLUSION
And that’s it. In Joseph’s life we see an example of how people can live lives that will change the world.
What are you living for? Is it worthwhile? Is your life making a difference? Do you want to live a life that will change the world?
Then follow Joseph’s example and be a part of something great.
