God called Mary and Joseph to serve him… And Mary and Joseph began a journey of faith that began in a valley of fear.
Their fears were not the normal fears of a young couple about to have their first child. No, they had fears that are beyond the scope of our comprehension. Mary was to give birth to God and Joseph was to accept and raise the baby as he would his own son.
No wonder the first words out of the mouth of the angel messengers to both Mary and Joseph were “Don’t be afraid”. They needed to hear these words desperately! They were both filled with fear. There was the fear that comes from seeing an angel. There was the fear that comes from the message itself and there was the fear of rejection and ridicule from others when they heard the message and saw the results.
Think about it… You are supposed to tell people that you are having a child by the hand of the almighty God? That’s a hard sell! Mary and Joseph had to be a little worried about getting locked up somewhere as nuts.
But both Mary and Joseph came to a place of faith
In fact, they became people of great faith. That faith was so much more than simple belief. Theirs was a faith that trusted God in spite of fear. Faith is not seen in words describing what we think about God, his nature, and His character.
Their Faith is seen in their response to his call to obey... God helped them gain that faith. Let’s see how this morning…
Mary’s journey
It began with a message from God recorded for us by Luke in chapter 1:26-33
Luke 1:26-33 (NCV)
26 During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.”
29 But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean.
30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. 31 Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. 33 He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
The first part of the message was: You are called to serve my will.
Just as the President calls up the military reserves there are times that God calls up his troops for action. God called Mary’s name and said I need you to do my will.
There are many reasons to NOT choose this young woman. What did she know about life? What did she know about God? What experience and wisdom could she possibly bring to the table???
Yet we have seen this many times in the Bible. God called Moses to lead his people in spite of his being a poor communicator. David was called out of the fields – a young man of some 16 years – to fight Goliath. And now a young girl named Mary with no background, training, skill or experience.
The only thing she had was God.
That was the second part of the message: “Don’t be afraid, Mary, God has shown you his grace”
Mary was not exceptional because she was more Godly than others. Mary was exceptional because God was in her. It was not something that she did – it was something that God did in her. God chose her and then said “Don’t be afraid because I’m here in you. I have given you - me!”
Her response is seen in her song – it’s recorded in Luke 1:46-49
Luke 1:46-55 (NCV)
Then Mary said, “My soul praises the Lord; my heart rejoices in God my Savior, because he has shown his concern for his humble servant girl. From now on, all people will say that I am blessed, because the Powerful One has done great things for me. Now let’s look at Joseph.
Joseph’s Journey
It began the same way – a message from God recorded for us in Matthew 1:18-25 (NCV)
The Birth of Jesus Christ
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was engaged b to marry Joseph, but before they married, she learned she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a good man, he did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to divorce her secretly.
20 While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, c because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this happened to bring about what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel,” d which means “God is with us.”
The first part of the message was simple – a little hard to believe – but simple!
Your fiancée is going to have a baby. The baby is from the Holy Spirit
That’s simple isn’t it!
The second part of the message: “Don’t be afraid, I want you to name him Jesus (Jesus means “Salvation”) because he will save his people from their sins.”
God said “I have a plan… trust me”.
And We see his response in his actions… He married her and did what was required – according to the will of God
When God calls you to serve Him there is a message:
The first part of the message is always the same – “You have been chosen to do my will”
The second part of the message is always the same – “I am with you and I have a plan”
It has always been this way
To Isaac God said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Don’t be afraid, because I am with you." Genesis 26:24 (NCV)
To Joshua when he was to take the land God said, "Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid of them and don’t be frightened, because the Lord your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you." Deuteronomy 31:6 (NCV). He also told him, "Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go." Joshua 1:9 (NCV)
To Jehosaphat when his enemies were at the gate God said, "Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of this large army. The battle is not your battle, it is God’s." 2 Chronicles 20:15 (NCV)
To Jeremiah in the bottom of the pit God said, “Don’t be afraid.” Lamentations 3:55-57 (NCV)
To the people of Israel when they were weary God said, "So don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you." Isaiah 41:10 (NCV). When they were under attack God said, "Don’t be afraid of the evil things people say, and don’t be upset by their insults. Moths will eat those people as if they were clothes, and worms will eat them as if they were wool." Isaiah 51:7-8 (NCV) When they were taken captive God said, "People of Jacob, my servants, don’t be afraid; don’t be frightened, Israel. I will surely save you from those faraway places and your children from the lands where they are captives. The people of Jacob will have peace and safety again, and no one will make them afraid." Jeremiah 46:27-28 (NCV)
And to a synagogue leader when his child was sick, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Mark 5:35-36 (NCV)
To Peter when he was fishing Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” Luke 5:10-11 (NCV)
To Paul when he was being threatened He said, “Don’t be afraid. Continue talking to people and don’t be quiet. I am with you, and no one will hurt you because many of my people are in this city.” Acts 18:9-11 (NCV)
To Zechariah when the angel told him about his son who would be born to herald the way for Jesus God said, "Zechariah, don’t be afraid. God has heard your prayer."
You have been chosen… Israel in the OT was called the “chosen people”. In the New Covenant the followers of Jesus are the chosen people for we have heard the call of God who cries out to all of human kind.
We have been chosen to follow and to serve God’s will – not our own. Jesus prayed. “Not my will but yours”
He taught us to pray, “Our father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done…
God has called you to serve him according to His will
how do you respond?
Some respond in fear and back away. Some respond through their fear in faith to obedience…
Jeff Struecker responded in Several years ago Jeff Sturecker was a US Army Ranger posted in Mogadishu, Somalia. Today he is a master of divinity student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.
For him Oct 3-4, 1993 were the defining moments of his life. He was one of the troops called on to go into the center Mogadisu to secure a building as part of a larger operation. The movie “Black Hawk Down” came out about a year ago chronicling the events of those two days.
In the first trip into the city he and most of his friends got out through a hailstorm of bullets. One man was shot and killed. It was then felt the fear. He began to pray. The humvee was painted with blood as they escaped the city with their dead and wounded comrades.
The news soon worsened. A helicopter was shot down. The team received orders to return to the melee. Yet, his men understandably couldn’t fight in the bloody humvees. Struecker spent the next 30 to 45 minutes cleaning. No running water. Only sponges and buckets.
"I began to talk to the Lord. I thought I was going to die," he said. Feeling his fear grow, he began to ask God to protect him. But his prayer soon changed.
"I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life. ... A scene appeared in the landscape of my mind. The scene was Jesus in the Garden. ... He clearly and honestly knew that he was going to die. ... He also showed that he did not want to go to that cross and die. And I knew that I didn’t want to die that night. But Jesus courageously said, ’God, not my will, but yours be done.’
"If I die tonight, that’s fine, as long as your will is done," Struecker said. For the first time in his life, Struecker -- who had been a Christian since age 13 -- was prepared to die. "God spoke to my mind and my heart and said, ’I’ve been protecting you every day of your life,’" Struecker said. "He did not tell me, ’You will live through the night.’ He simply showed me my life has always been in his hands."
Struecker and his men returned to the field of fire in Mogadishu that night and fought with a God-given courage. The sergeant first class would later be awarded the Bronze Star Medal "V" for valor. "I fought differently that night than everybody else ... because of my faith," Struecker said. God had given him a "supernatural peace" in the midst of pandemonium, further firefights and an ambush that nearly blew his humvee off the road.
"I began to understand God’s omnipotent power," Struecker said. "He was orchestrating every single bullet that was fired that night. ... The peace that I had was not only for my own life, but for the lives of my soldiers. If any of them were to get shot, then that was part of God’s sovereign plan." And God chose to preserve Struecker that night.
God has called you to serve him…
The specifics are different but the message is the same as it was to Mary and Joseph
Don’t be afraid, I am with you…
Don’t be afraid, I have a plan…
God has called us as a body and individually…
As a body he has called us to serve this community
For now it is here in this school. Don’t be afraid – I’m with you and I have a plan to reach the world…
Follow my will… go, make disciple, baptize them in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit, and teach them to observe all the things I have taught you…
We will obey!!!
As individuals he has called us to serve our friends and families
Each of you has a different path… There may be disease, conflict, divorce, death, temptation, trials, and testing. There may be unemployment, discouragement, disability, or ridicule. You may be a teacher, a doctor, an attorney, a clerk, a carpenter, a dry-waller, a plumber, a secretary, a salesman, a soldier, a flyer, a marine, or a sailor. You may be a mother, a father, a sister, brother, an aunt or an uncle. You may enjoy the good life or struggle to pay off your debts – it makes no difference.
God has called you to serve him according to his will for your life
The path may be hard but God has called you to this path and he says – don’t be afraid. I am with you and I have a plan for your life… Follow my will.
How you respond is up to you.
