FOLLOWING JESUS
LIKE JOSEPH
Matthew 1:18-25
1
I. What Following Jesus
Looks Like
2
4 elements from Joseph’s life about
following Jesus, and then show you
where Joseph got the strength to do
them:
A. Trust and Absolute
Obedience
Joseph had to believe the
impossible and risk
everything on it.
You don’t do that because Jesus
is your preference, but because
you believe he rose from the
dead.
In fact, if you struggle being
sacrificial, let me tell you why: it’s
because you lack confidence in the
promises of the unseen God.
B. Acceptance of a
Sentence of Death
Mary’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy put her
under a literal death sentence in Jewish law.
Beyond that, Mary and Joseph had to die to
their good name, their cherished dreams;
their families and their homelands.
C. Self-Denial
Following Jesus means denying
yourself some things you might
otherwise enjoy.
If you are going to follow Jesus
you have to consent to do things
his way even if it means denying
yourself some things you might
otherwise have.
D. Willingness to Embrace
Inconvenience
Do you realize how much Jesus’ birth
complicated Joseph’s life? Messed up
his relationships with his family; his
friends; his job. Eventually he had to
move and start over.
Serving Jesus is rarely convenient.
Do you realize how much Jesus’ birth
complicated Joseph’s life? Messed up
his relationships with his family; his
friends; his job. Eventually he had to
move and start over.
Serving Jesus is rarely convenient.
If the defining characteristic you are
looking for in a church is convenience,
this is not the church for you.
To become the people of God that God
wants us to be takes willingness to
embrace inconvenience for the sake of
the mission.
Our priority is not your convenience but
the mission of God.
II. Where the Strength to Follow
Jesus Comes From
”Behold, the virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and
they shall call his name
Immanuel” (which means, God
with us).
1. A Kept Promise
Joseph was able to have that kind of faith
because he knew the word of God. Many of
you waver in faith because you don’t really
know the word of God.
The strength of your faith cannot exceed
your knowledge of the promises of God.
2. A Remarkable Name
This baby is given two names in these verses: ”Jesus”
and ”Immanuel.”
”What’s your name?” ”Jesus. My middle name is
Christ. But my friends call me Immanuel.” You can
call me Lord.
Jesus” means, in Hebrew, ”God saves.”
”Immanuel” means ”God with us.”
Listen: Seeing God as Jesus and Immanuel
gave Joseph the strength to follow Jesus.
Listen to this: The secret is that everything
that God is asking Joseph and Mary to do he
will do, in a much greater sense, for them.
o Like Mary, Jesus would carry about in his
body a death sentence from being falsely
accused, except he actually would die in shame,
bearing the curse for someone else.
o And self-denial-he would take upon his back a
bloody cross and open up his hands to have nails
driven into them so that we could be saved.
Like Mary and Joseph, Jesus (God in the
flesh) would be misunderstood and falsely
accused.
He took our sin; bore our shame. Surely he
has borne our grief and carried our sorrows;
yet we considered him stricken, smitten by
God, and afflicted.
Essentially Joseph is being invited to share
in the sufferings of Jesus.
Everything that Jesus experienced on earth
you have to be willing to experience if you
are to be his follower and the only way to
have the strength to do that is to see that
Jesus did it for you and now you can do
with him.
What would have happened had Joseph not
chosen this route?
If he’d chosen the easy route-not believed
the angel; divorced Mary and cast her aside;
married a different girl.
You choose not to forgive.
You choose not to sacrifice. You miss out on Jesus and his plan!
Maybe you’re actually pregnant out of wedlock, like Mary was, ?and
the easy thing for you to do is to get an abortion. What if Mary had
done that? I know it’s an unfortunate situation; maybe it’s not even
your fault. But God has a plan in it. And you’ll only experience God’s
best if you do it God’s way. Carry the baby to term. Give birth to it.
And see what God does.
Joseph’s life tells you, ”It’s worth it.
God keeps his promises. Jesus is worth
the pain and the shame and the shattered
dreams and even death if it comes.”
