Joseph: A Testimony of Faithful Obedience

Introduction

What do you think about when you hear the word “faith.” Some think of religion, like when someone might say, “I’m of the Jewish faith.”

Others may use it like this: “I have faith that God has a plan for my life” or someone else may say, “I’m justified by faith.”

Others think of “confidence” like when someone says about their team, “I have faith that we are going to beat our rival this year.”

When we think about “faith” in God we often use it in a way that relies upon God to do something. That’s not a bad thing, but the question may arise, “How is your reliance upon God demonstrated?”

If you really trust God with your finances it will make a difference in how you give and spend His money.

If you really trust God with your future it will make a difference in the decisions you make today.

You see it’s easy to say “I have faith in God,” but it’s a completely different thing to EXERCISE that faith. I think that’s why James was able to say, “Faith without works is DEAD.”

In the story of the conception and the birth of Christ you see many people exercising their faith in God. But I’m not sure if anyone exercised their faith in God during this process more than Joseph.

He had to completely change and overhaul his plans, trust God when things didn’t make sense, and rely on God to direct his steps.

How about you?

Will You Trust God When His Plan is Not Your Plan?

When Joseph found out Mary was expecting he developed a plan. That’s just like a man isn’t it? We are always planning about how to “fix” things, solve problems, figure things out. Notice his plan in...

Matthew 1:18–19 NKJV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

Joseph’s plan was to quietly separate from Mary and do it in a way which did not bring her into scandal. At the time of Christ’s conception Mary & Joseph were betrothed to one another. A betrothal period in this culture typically lasted a year. The man and woman continue to live with their parents awaiting the time to be brought together at the wedding and begin to live together as husband and wife. In order to break a betrothal something similar to a divorce had to take place. This is what Joseph’s plan was when he assumed Mary had been unfaithful to him.

While Joseph’s plan was noble, and while Joseph’s plan sought to protect Mary, Joseph’s plan was not God’s plan.

As we were reminded last week from Isaiah 55:9, God’s ways are not our ways

Isaiah 55:9 NKJV

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

So what happens when YOUR ways and God’s ways collide? What happens when YOUR plan and God’s plan are on two different paths? What path do you follow? Which door do you choose? What option do you pick?

Notice what Joseph did...

Matthew 1:20–25 NKJV

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

We are called to TRUST and OBEY God even when His plan is not our plan, when His ways are not our ways, when His thoughts are not our thoughts.

Exalting Jesus in Matthew How Jesus Came (Matthew 1:18–25)

Joseph obeyed without questioning God or laying down conditions

There are many areas in life where God’s plans and our plans do not match up. We cannot improve on God’s plans. God’s plans are good and just and we need to lay down our will and follow His no matter what it is or where it leads!

Something else I’ve noticed about God’s plans is that they don’t always seem to make sense to me.

As I said though you can’t improve on God’s plans and the second question is...

Will You Trust God When it Doesn’t Make Sense?

Think about what happened in...

Luke 2:1–7 NKJV

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

How would you like to make an 80 mile trip on your donkey with a wife who was on the verge of giving birth?!

Doesn’t seem to make sense. It didn’t seem to make sense that the very Son of God would have to be born in a cattle stall, laid in a manger, welcomed by shepherds...It didn’t seem to make sense that they would eventually have to go on the run to Egypt to get away from a sinful and ungodly king who had all the baby boys under two years of age killed, but that’s exactly what happened.

There will be things that will happen in your life, things that will come your way, detours that will happen, distractions that will come that do not seem to make any logical sense to you.

There will be things God and His Word instruct you to do that go against everything in you. There will be feelings that you will experience that do not match up with the facts of Scripture...

The question is, WILL YOU OBEY GOD WHEN IT DOESN’T seem to make sense!

Someone said:

Obedience is about trusting God’s plan even when it seems impossible and doesn’t make sense. Joseph is obedient because he is a righteous man who trusts God’s plan is the best

We may assume that Joseph’s role in this was over, but we find these words in Matthew 2:13-15

Matthew 2:13–15 NKJV

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

After being in Bethlehem for up to two years, God leads Joseph to now go into Egypt. Once again we find Joseph trusting God to direct his paths. Will you do the same?

Will You Trust God to Direct Your Paths?

We cannot improve upon the path and place God has for us. Yes, there will be unexpected detours along the way, there will be things that come into our lives that we don’t understand or weren’t expecting, BUT WE KNOW GOD WILL DIRECT OUR PATHS IF WE are TRUSTIN HIM with ALL our heart, if we are not LEANING on our own understanding and if we are acknowledging Him in all our ways.

After escaping to Egypt and being there for quite some time Herod dies and once again God directs Joseph’s path...

Matthew 2:19–23 NKJV

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Each and every time Joseph had a dream from God, Joseph responded with faithful obedience. He didn’t always have all the answers, he didn’t always know all the details, it didn’t always make sense, but he knew he could trust God with his wife, with his marriage, with his living situation...

AND YOU CAN TOO!

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