12-15-2019
Dr. E. Dale Locke, Jeff MacIntosh, and Pastor Efrain Silva
Sermon Series: Fear Not
Week 3: Crowd Control
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1. Continue to practice our theme verse together as a group: Luke 2:10-11: “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’”
2. During the four weeks of Advent we’re looking at four times in the Christmas story when an angel told someone not to be afraid. And through this we’re seeking to understand how God’s love and presence can help us deal with fear and anxiety. The first week we looked at the angel’s visit to Zechariah and Elizabeth, who feared that they may have missed it in life – like their deepest dreams and desires might never come true. We saw in that story that it’s never too late for God to work, so we should keep trusting that God has good plans for us. The second week we looked at the fear of not being enough through the story of the angel’s visit to Mary. We saw that it’s not about us being enough in ourselves, it’s about God’s power in us that makes us enough. This week we’re talking about the fear of what people think of us. Share about some times in your life when you worried about what people were thinking of you. How did that impact you?
3. Read Matthew 1:18-25:
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
4. What questions or comments come to your mind as you read this passage?
5. Imagine the fear that Joseph would have had in this situation. Who would ever believe how Mary got pregnant? Joseph knew that everyone would either think that he and Mary had committed adultery, or that Mary had cheated on him while they were engaged. Either way, for the rest of his life, Joseph would live with some public disgrace if he did what the angel asked him to do. Talk about how Joseph must have felt.
6. The fear of what others think of us seems to be growing even stronger in our current culture. What are some factors that might be contributing to that?
7. Some leaders – teachers, coaches, bosses, parents – think that shame is a good motivator. Talk about how it impacts the people they are leading, when someone tries to use shame as a motivator.
Joseph shows me that I need spiritual reserves to draw upon when times get tough.
8. Note in Matthew 1:19 that Joseph had been training himself throughout his life to become a person who lived in a way that was faithful to God’s law. So that when this difficult choice came, he had a deep spiritual reservoir to draw on. What tends to happen when a person who hasn’t done much to deepen their spiritual growth experiences a really tough situation?
Joseph shows me that I should do the right thing for the right audience.
9. Read Proverbs 29:25: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” And Read Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” What do these verses add to your understanding of Joseph’s decision here?
10. How does it impact a person’s daily choices and mental health if they keep in mind that the only opinion of them that really matters is God’s opinion?
Joseph shows me that doing the right thing creates an opportunity for God to show up.
11. What would Joseph have missed out on, if he had caved in to the fear of what people thought of him in this situation and chosen not to take Mary as his wife?
Joseph shows me that God has a plan, even when we can’t see it.
12. Joseph had no idea at that time how how significant and amazing God’s plan for this situation was. Share about a time when you did the right thing, even though it was hard; and later on you were able to recognize God’s wonderful plan that you hadn’t been able to see at the time.