How to be useful for God (Matthew 1:18-25)
December 23, 2007
Have you ever been in a real spiritual predicament? You’re caught between a rock and a hard place? Did you come to a crisis of belief? Did you wait to hear from God? Did you seek spiritual counsel before you took action? Or did you take matters into your own hands? Did you over react and blow things way out of proportion? And if you did, are you willing to make amends? Are you willing to reflect and say, ‘Holy Spirit what are you trying to teach me through this process?’ Joseph, a man of character, chose to reflect upon the Spirit appointed messenger in his life. Joseph found himself in an unwelcome nightmare. But he chose to wait on God before he took action.
There was a time when Joseph thought the virgin birth was a spiritual impossibility. Oh, he believed the Messiah would be from the Jewish nation. But he had no idea that God would use him. He had no idea that God would give him such a high calling. That God would use him in the line to the Messiah. He had no idea that God’s time was now and today in his life. God had a purpose for his life. God has a purpose for your life. And through that purpose God brought Joseph to a crisis of belief. God will also bring you to a crisis of belief. A crisis of belief, defined by Henry Blackaby is simply this. You must believe God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He is going to do (H. Blackaby, Exp. God). Without faith and reliance on God Joseph would have made the wrong decision. Joseph was at a fork in the road. Would he choose to hear God’s word and God’s angel and adjust his life? Of would he choose make up his own mind and block out God’s direction? Many of you are at the same point in your life.
Today, at Christmas time, I want to reflect on how God uses ordinary people. Are you feeling pretty ordinary these days? Well great, because God wants to use you. The Apostle Paul understood this (2nd Co. 4:7). Now God can work any way he chooses. He does not need you or any human to tell him how to work. When he chooses to use someone he does not need someone who is socially accepted, wealthy, nor popular. God has a pattern of using people ordinary people whose character is equal to the task.
Like Joseph, you are not where you are by accident. God allowed you to be here in Red Lake, at Calvary Church, in this spiritually hard area. Regardless of where we are, when we gain a godly perspective, like Joseph God will reveal himself to us.
God had begun a work in Joseph. Like Joseph, when you give 100% of your life to Christ’s rule you will enter into a renewed covenant relationship with God. Like Joseph, when God brings spiritual authority into your life, and you listen, you will find God’s purpose. Many people never see their God given purpose come to pass. Sadly many miss it because they don’t pass the character test. God wants to shape our character and cleanse our lives of all that hinders us from fulfilling his purposes for our lives. Today, I want us to briefly review five lessons on how God shaped Joseph’s character and how he responded to his crisis of belief.
1. First God shapes ordinary people. Joseph was an ordinary guy
Joseph lived in the time of Herod the Great. Jesus was born about 5 BC. We know that because the Bible says Herod was king when Jesus was born, and Herod died in 4 BC. Now Herod was a successful king. He brought great wealth into the kingdom. The economy was at full throttle. He spent money on lavish building programs. He did a massive rebuilding of the temple. The rabbis said ‘He who has not seen Herod’s temple has not seen beauty.’ He also built a theatre and an amphitheatre in Jerusalem. This was the world that Joseph lived in.
The Bible says Joseph was a carpenter, and he taught Jesus the trade. Let’s go back in a time machine, way back 2,012 years ago. You’re a tradesman. You know Joseph. He is a carpenter, one of twenty-five separate trades mentioned in the Bible. Joseph was an ordinary guy, recognized by all. You know who he is. You know what he does. You know about his family line. You know him well. Tradesmen were recognized in the street. Everyone knew him and here is how they recognized him:
o Dyers carried a colored rag
o Tailors carried a large bone needle stuck into their upper garment
o Carpenters, however, had a chip behind their ear
Carpenters were visible because they worked on the major projects like the temple. People ran into them all the time.
Joseph, that ordinary carpenter, Mary’s husband, was chosen by God to raise and nurture his Son. Joseph demonstrated incredible faith and trust in God as well as obedience in times of dire circumstances. He was a man of simple means whom God found faithful, trustworthy, and obedient. What greater privilege could someone have than to be the earthly father of the Son of God? Joseph was a man God could use. Why did God choose to use ordinary Joseph in this way?
2. He was a righteous man. Although he was an ordinary man he was a man of impeccable character. He is a devout Jewish man. The Bible describes Joseph as a righteous man. What did this term mean for the Jews, for Joseph?
a) It meant a right relationship between God and man (Jer. 9:24).
The idea was that God was righteous and fair. They knew him as a guy who loved the Law of Moses, and really had an uncompromising life. Being righteous simply means he was a man who not only knew the law of God but chose to obey it. Often we are 50% like Joseph. Were like the half of Joseph who knows what the Bible says. But are we like the other half of Joseph who does what it says? Do we take what we know and obey it? It was obedience that made Joseph a righteous man.
b) It also meant the Jew was also to be righteous and fair in dealing with fellow men (Deut. 24:13). They knew him as a righteous and fair guy, who cared for the needy. We will see this in his attitude towards Mary. He chose not to drag her in front of the judges at the city gates for her alleged adultery. He had the right to, because that is what they did, but he chose not to. This was a spiritually dark time in the nation of Israel, but his life was a light (Ps. 112:4). He is an example to us.
3. He faced a crisis of belief (predicament). Joseph was caught between a rock and a hard place. He was pledged to be married to a young peasant girl named Mary. She was about 14 years old. This story may be confusing to us. That culture is like another planet. Matthew says they were pledged to be married (in other words, engaged), and then he refers to Joseph as her husband, and speaks of divorce. Here’s what it means. In that day marriage was a three-step process.
a) The first step was engagement. That was a contract arranged by the family. It was the family, not the young people who determined the future marriage partner. The older I get, the more I like that kind of wisdom. This arrangement was normally made when they were both children. This arrangement often took place without the couple ever having seen each other. This early matchmaking wasn’t binding. The families, not the young people, could decide if they couldn’t go through with the marriage.
b) The second step of the process was betrothal, which was binding. Legally they were husband and wife, even though during this time they did not live together. It was similar to engagement, but much stricter in its application. The waiting period, a year, was to demonstrate the faithfulness of the pledge of purity given concerning the bride. If she was found to be with child in this period, she obviously had been involved in an unfaithful sexual relationship. Therefore the marriage could be annulled. The betrothal could then be terminated was by a legal divorce.
c) The third step was consummation. That is when the couple came together as man and wife, consummated their sexual union and began living together. It was during the betrothal that Mary was discovered to be pregnant. They weren’t living together—they weren’t even living in the same village—they had not even seen each other, and yet Mary was expecting a child.
Place yourself in Joseph’s shoes in that strict society. Wouldn’t you cringe? Would you be embarrassed? What would you think? You would have thought Mary had been unfaithful to you. Joseph thought the same thing. But man’s initial thoughts and reactions are not God’s. But were human, we understand why Joseph thought that way. He had never had sex with her until after Jesus was born. She was a virgin until after the birth of Jesus.
He jumped to the conclusions that Mary had been unfaithful to him, but Joseph’s actions tell us much about his character. We know that he loved Mary. The Bible says he did not want to disgrace her. So he decided to divorce her quietly. Since engagement was a legal contract he decided to give her a certificate of divorce. He acted kindly towards her. That is why the Bible says he was righteous. The certificate of divorce gave her legal protection. He was willing to meet her financial. Secondly she would have been free to remarry. Like Joseph, you will be confronted with a choice. The choice is do I live out my faith by the letter of the law or out of love. And Joseph picks love. He is really blessing her. His motive and intentions are honorable, even though he had not yet heard from God about what to do.
By divorcing Mary quietly, rather than publicly, Joseph put his reputation at risk instead of Mary’s. Joseph wanted to do the right thing in a way that held her honor.
He had in mind to divorce her quietly. His crisis of belief was simply this. Would he take matters into his own hands? Or would he wait for God to speak to him?
4. He adjusted his life to God’s plans. Just when he was at his low point God sent an angel in a dream with a message. Joseph knew God speaks through dreams. God spoke to another Joseph in Egypt through a dream. The dream was fulfilled and the nation of Israel was saved from famine. The miracle of Joseph at Christmas is the fact Joseph believes God’s messenger and acted upon it. The miracle here is that a sensible, and good man, a man named Joseph, acts contrary to the obvious evidence. He sees and knows its implications and still he acts contrary to it.” When God speaks it’s always the right thing to do. Joseph, like his betrothed Mary, hears the angel and believes. He believes and moves over to where God was working.
The angel was God’s spokesperson; God’s revealed His will and purpose for Joseph and Mary. That authority was sent my God. All spiritual authorities are appointed and sent by God. Joseph did not reject the authority and messenger of God.
In essence the message to Joseph was your intentions are honorable but you have things turned around. God says to us lets get things straight.
o I have the right to rule in your life
o I set a high price for rebellion
o I pour out safety and blessing for obedience
Joseph understood those principles and that is why God used him.
Joseph was submissive to God’s authority. Secondly his obedience was revealed in his actions towards the spoken authority. When God gives a command or a vision of truth, it is never a question of what He will do, but what we will do (H. Blackaby - Exp. God). To be successful in God’s work is to fall in line with His will and to do it His way. John Bevere in his excellent book “Under His Authority’ wrote ‘this is often the case in churches today.” We have great intentions, nod, and smile and agree with the authorities over us: ‘I’ll do it.’ Then we don’t because it is just not important to us. John Bevere calls it nice rebellion. Don’t be fooled: nice rebellion is as deadly as blatant rebellion with an attitude. Neither is honored in the kingdom of God.’
Now what if Joseph would have said ‘great idea to take Mary as my wife but I cannot do it.’ I cannot bear to take the pain and ridicule. Life is too short. Somebody else can help her out.’ I have other responsibilities. That is your vision, not mine.
Joseph was willing to listen and obey. He knew the story of God’s people. When Moses confronted the Israelites they said, ‘we don’t need you or your advice.’ Back off Moses, you’re meddling. Joseph’s entire society lived out the repercussions of disobedience. I wonder what would have happened if Joseph had that attitude. He didn’t. He adjusted his life to God’s plans.’
5. Joseph’s obedience allowed God to fulfill his purpose for his life. Jesus was adopted as a true Son of David; just as it becomes Mary’s role to allow Jesus to be born Son of God.
His obedience gives us courage to live our calling in love walking by faith. One man in the church told me, if I am the last musician in this area, I will serve God in this church. It is my calling, my passion. What a leader. I was thrilled when I heard that. Another woman in this church said ‘I will give to God first. No matter what I have, I will give to God first. I know he will take care of me.’ That spurs me on.
Joseph was an obedient man. That does not mean he had no fears. I am sure he had fears, but he knew the God who said fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God, for I will help you, I will strengthen you by my victorious right hand.
In a sermon in Harvard University’s Memorial Church, Peter Gomes talked about the particular role that Joseph had to play in the incarnation:
“Fear not Joseph, son of David,” You fear disgrace. You fear embarrassment and shame for yourself and for Mary. You fear public scandal. You fear that your reputation will suffer, but it will not happen. For out of this fear comes an opportunity that neither you nor your worthy ancestors could have imagined. And, what is this opportunity that comes out of real fear and alleged disgrace? It is this Joseph; you will become the guardian of God. You will be the protector of the Savior of the world. You, Joseph, will become the Stepfather to hope.
Now there are times, like Joseph, when you will be caught between a rock and a hard place. Don’t overreact. The Holy Spirit is trying to speak into your life, get your attention. It’s a character test, so don’t let your emotions lead you astray. The devil would have won the victory if Joseph would have backed off from the calling. The word of God, prayer and godly counsel will put you on the right track. Joseph listened, heard, contemplated, and changed course.
The Bible says that Joseph did as the angel commanded; he took Mary home to be his wife. By doing this, Joseph was being obedient to the call of God on his life. He adjusted his plans to God’s plans. He was "claiming responsibility" for Mary’s child.
Joseph was courageously obedient to God, and in this story we learn three lessons about obedience. First of all, we learn...
1. There is a cost for the call of God on your life.
In this story we see that when God decides to do something, he doesn’t look for public approval. If you choose to obey Jesus there will be a day when your reputation and your loved ones get nailed along the way. I am a living testimony to it. I hear some things about my kids that have no basis of fact. There will be times when what people think about you is complete bnonsense. Your life will become the subject of gossip, rumor and speculation. Then your motives will be questioned. When you live a holy and obedient life people will become uncomfortable around you. People will say back off. People will say things that they know nothing about. It comes with the territory; it’s part of the cost of following the call of God. You have faced it and so have I.
The Aisenburg family was featured on NBC’s Dateline several years ago. Their 5-month-old baby was kidnapped in the middle of the night. They became the primary suspects. Eventually they were indicted. The couple was brutalized by the local media. People called radio talk shows lambasted them. Most people were labeled them guilty even though they hadn’t yet been to trial. When Marlene the mother made an appeal for the child’s safe return on television, the public decided that she didn’t seem to be as panicked as she should have been. The father was photographed smiling the day after the abduction. The accusations continued for years and still do.
Then after a few years it was concluded the police had overlooked key evidence and failed to follow up on significant leads. Two police were reprimanded. It appears the couple might not be guilty after all. The authorities are taking a second look at the case.
Whether or not they are guilty remains to be seen. But when you follow God’s voice you will be like them. They were declared guilty in the trial of public opinion long before all the facts were known. That’s because people jump to conclusions without the facts. That is one cost of God’s call on your life. Have you ever had that happen to you?
In Joseph’s day the people all had their opinions, there very wrong ones.
There’s a cost to answering God’s call. The cost is that some people won’t misunderstand. Then they, unlike Joseph, will be closed to spiritual counsel and authority.
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That’s why it takes such courage to be obedient. You have to be willing to say, "It doesn’t matter to me what anyone else thinks, it matters to me only what God wants for my life." This is the attitude Paul had (Galatians 1:10).
When I spoke to a deacon on the telephone 18 months ago I said ‘Rick I am not pastoring Calvary church. I am only coming to preach there once.’ The point is made that God’s ways and plans are higher than ours. It was one of many times in my life that I had to move over and join God in his work.
Courageous obedience means that you’re willing to count the cost of God’s call on your life. The second lesson we learn from the story of Joseph is...
2. Character is more important than reputation.
Joseph could have made his reputation his top priority. He could have become defensive, a sign of insecurity, but then he would have focused on the circumstances instead of on God’s call on his life. You’ve heard the saying, "Your reputation is who people think you are; your character is who you really are." God chose Joseph and Mary because of who they were, not because of whom people thought they were.
If we protect our reputation no matter what the cost, in the end our reputation is all we will have. There’s no substance to the image. Those are people who are not ready to be used by God.
In the Bruce Willis movie The Kid, Bruce plays an image consultant who knows how to play the game of public opinion. On the surface he has it all: he’s handsome, well-dressed, successful, rich, and influential. But behind the image, there’s no substance to his life. It’s just a glamorous, one-dimensional illusion. He is empty.
God is not interested in my reputation; he is interested in my character. God sees our character when nobody else is looking.
Do you know what that tells me? We all need to develop character. We need to be like Joseph. Here I am God; give me your best shot. Here I am friend; give me your best shot. If we have character flaws God will not use us. If we have sin in our lives, it’s not enough just to cover it up. We have to abandon it altogether.
Joseph was a man of character. The Bible says, "He was a righteous man," (v. 19), and so when he was faced with the situation of Mary’s pregnancy, he acted in a way that would protect his character, not his reputation. He was wise. He evaluated the situation and listened for God to speak into it. That’s why God was able to use Joseph.
Obedience takes courage, because we have to be willing to protect our character, even at the cost of sacrificing our reputation.
Here’s the third lesson we learn from Joseph’s obedience:
3. Your obedience opens the door for God’s involvement in your life and in your world.
If you have an obedient spirit, God can use you, regardless of your circumstances, even if no one else can see you’re potential. And if you don’t disobedient, God won’t use you significantly, even if the entire world thinks you’re wonderful. God will wait until your character is developed before he will use you for his major assignment in your life.
Think about it for a minute. What if Joseph had not been obedient? What if he had decided to save his reputation and disgrace Mary? After all, it was just a dream wasn’t it? What would have happened? By law, she could have been stoned to death, and the child could have died along with her. Joseph’s disobedience could have placed a wrench into God’s plan of salvation.
Because of Joseph’s courageous obedience, Jesus was born into this world, and through his life and death he paid the price for our sins.
The ramifications of your obedience go far beyond your personal life. You are not an island. When you defy the Bible and God’s spiritual authority in your life it will have disastrous implications in your life as well as others. Joseph’s act of obedience not only changed his life, but it changed the world forever.
We need to keep this in mind, because the consequences of our obedience may not always be immediately obvious. You may not be able to see it from this side of eternity, but the fact is, your obedience to the call of God on your life could change the lives of thousands—even millions—of people.
Do you know who Mordecai Ham is? He was just a revival preacher from the early 20th century who traveled primarily throughout the south, preaching in a tent. There was nothing about him that would qualify him for inclusion in the history books. Except, one night he issued an invitation for people to come forward and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, and a teenager came forward, named Billy Graham. When Mordecai Ham responded to God’s call to preach, he had no way of knowing the impact his obedience would have on the entire world.
For those of you younger people, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has worked with the local church to spread the gospel to all nations.
Graham and his associates have preached in person to more people around the world than anyone who has ever lived. Well over 3.0 million people had stepped forward at these to "accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior." Graham’s lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, tops two billion. His faithfulness had a spiritual impact on many, including my own dad. By being obedient to the calling of God, you like Mordecai Hamm, like Joseph and Mary will be used by God to touch someone’s life, who in turn can touch millions. Don’t ever believe the lie of Satan that God cannot use you. He can, and is ready. Like Joseph, we simply need to adjust our lives to his voice and be obedient to his direction.
CONCLUSION
Joseph disappeared completely from history after the teenage years of Jesus. What I remember him for is:
o He knew that God was in charge and he was not
o He believed the rewards of obedience are well worth the cost involved.
o He was a man who listened to the voice of God and adjusted his life
o Your obedience, in its own way, fulfills God’s plan, and can help to change the world forever and see an entire revival in this area. Will you choose to be like the Joseph of Christmas? He was a person who heard God’s voice through his messenger and adjusted his life to God’s plan. And that is one of the reasons we celebrate Christmas.
Closing Prayer
