This Christmas at Choice we have been working through the “Fear Not” Christmas sermon series from Life Church. We have been looking at three different appearances that the angels made to Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds. In each appearance, the Angels had a pretty similar message, “Fear Not!” Too often we can be overcome with fear. Fear can be paralyzing, trapping us, causing us not to move forward in life. Sometimes we can have fear of what God is asking us to do like Mary, or fear of where we stand with God, like the Shepherds. I believe Joseph was faced with the fear of what others were going to think of him.
Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes for a moment. Mary, his espoused or engaged wife just told him that she was pregnant, and it was by the Holy Spirit. Read that again. She was a virgin, or so Joseph thought because he had certainly never been with her in that way. He is now faced with the choice to believe that she is either crazy or she is a liar or both. If he believes her and stays with her, he is going to face a lot of criticism. Who is going to believe their story? If he leaves her, he actually has to file for divorce. He seems to be in a difficult situation whichever direction he decides to go.
When trying to make a decision it is easy to be obsessed with what other people are going to think. Being afraid of what other people are going to think is a very real fear that children, teens, and adults face on a regular basis. Often decisions made out of fear of how others will perceive us are not the best decisions.
How do we stop being obsessed over what others think about us?
Start being obsessed about what God thinks!
The more you begin being obsessed over what God thinks the less you will be obsessed over what others think of you. This is liberating and freeing! You are more likely to do what God wants for you in that decision and ultimately in your life if you become obsessed over what God thinks. Do you know how hard it is to be obsessed over two competing things at the same time? The more and more you focus on what God thinks, the less and less you will worry about what others are thinking. Live for an audience of one. This doesn’t mean you should be concerned about others or seek wisdom and counsel. This just means that ultimately you are most concerned with what God thinks about your decisions in life.
Thankfully Joseph leads the way for us as an example. He makes his decision to stay with Mary and obey God based on what God is going to think and all of the opinions of others fade into the background.
