06/19/11 - Joseph - Jody Bowman

Jody Bowman teaches on "Joseph:Being a Spiritual Leader of Your Household" in this Father's Day Sunday morning celebration.

Joseph
Jody Bowman
Sunday, June 19, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com


Sermon Notes:

Connecting with everyone
- today’s message is for everyone. We are all spiritual leaders and we have to be able to lead ourselves first, before we can lead someone else. Fathers are chosen to lead the household, but they don’t always step up and take on the responsibility given to them by God. So we have married women, single mothers and single dads who are the spiritual leaders at home. Statistics show that if there is a spiritual leader in a household, 75% of these children will give their life to Jesus. Only 25% of children, not being spiritually led will give their life to Christ. It is important to to spiritually lead ourselves and our children.


Intro into Joseph

(chosen by God to be the earthly father to his only begotten Son, Jesus) (not a single word quoted from him in the bible, but his life speaks louder than words)

Turn to Luke 2:41-51 first and then to Matthew 1:18-25

We have to have a relationship with God before we can spiritual influence our family and friends.


Verse #1: Matthew 1:18-25

-    Righteous Man:

When Joseph found himself in a terrible situation, it was his relationship with God and reaction to it that made him a righteous and spiritual person. He didn’t react with ungodly anger or public disgrace. Instead Joseph was going to handle the situation in a godly way by divorcing her privately and quietly. If Joseph had done it publically, Mary would have been stoned and humiliated. His love for Mary was unselfish and real.

    **    As a Christian, we should always handle our personal problems privately. Our first reaction defines our maturity in Christ. Are we announcing our problems from the rooftops and allowing ungodly counsel from others? We should only seek counsel from godly people, trusted friends and family who love God and are with us, not just for us. Don’t take personal opinions as advice from friends and family, if it doesn’t line up with the Word of God.


-    Obedience:

Joseph loved God so much that he knew the Lord would take care of this mess he was in. How do we know this? Well, for Mary to have just told him that she was pregnant, he still was able to fall asleep that night! Then the Lord spoke to him in a dream and told him what to do. When Joseph woke up, he immediately does what the Lord says

    **    Joseph doesn’t make up excuses or try to talk himself out of it. He doesn’t call all his friends to get a census on what he should do. He wakes up and he does exactly what the Lord tells him to do. He knows when God is speaking to him. How do we know when God is speaking to us? First, everything God tells you will line up with the Word. God is always the same, never changing in his Word. Second, he will always talk to you in the same way. He spoke to Joseph in dreams. He speaks to me in the same way every time. He is not the God of confusion; he wants you to hear him clearly and without question of what he wants you to do. What do we do when God speaks to us? Joseph got up the next morning and did exactly what God told him to do. When God speaks to you, you need to act on it immediately.  Don’t give yourself time to talk yourself out of it or come up with excuses you can’t do it. Respond in complete obedience and willingness.

With obedience, comes great sacrifice!


Verse #2: Luke 2:41-51

-    Sacrifice:

Every year Joseph took his entire family to Jerusalem for the Passover. It took 2-3 months to make this journey. Joseph sacrificed his family business and finances to make this journey. They didn’t make any money for these 3 months. This was a huge sacrifice to his family, but Joseph knew the importance of church and worship. We see the results of this sacrifice when Jesus turns up missing on the way home. They found Jesus in the temple reading the Word!

    **    We need to lead our families to church and in a godly life, even if it means making sacrifices. We need to teach them the importance of church. We need to be teaching them how to pray and worship God. Joseph modeled that living for God was 1st, no matter what it cost. That obedience is better than sacrifice. Look at Jesus the night of His betrayal when He had to choose between His will and the will of God. Joseph had already modeled the choice for Him. Jesus said ‘let not my will be done, but your will be done.’ When our families and children face the tough choices they will face, have we modeled the one that will bring them victory in Christ? Have we modeled that serving God is the ultimate reward no matter the sacrifice?

   **    We see Mary running into the temple all frantic and upset. She was just being a normal mother that couldn’t find her lost child. I can picture Joseph trying to calm her down with words like‘we raised Him good and in the ways of the Lord, He is a good boy, He knows the Lord will protect Him’. And Mary probably yelling at him that he is to calm and should be more worried about the situation. Joseph was upset, but when they found Jesus in the temple, I bet Joseph had this big grin on his face. He was probably thinking ‘That’s my Boy!’

The rewards are far greater than the sacrifices!! One of the rewards is a great relationship with your children!


-    Relationship:

Joseph had a close relationship with his children. One example of this is that Joseph taught Jesus the skill of carpentry. They lived in Nazareth and Joseph would take Jesus to work with him to Sepphoris, capital city of Galilee, a pagan city. Joseph used this time teaching Jesus how to work and live among non believers. Joseph lived his testimony daily at work and at home.

    **    We have to have this kind of relationship with Jesus. We need Jesus to teach us how to be Christians at home, in the work place and around all unbelievers. He has given us special talents to teach our children. Use this time to build your relationship with your children. Take every opportunity to pour Jesus into their lives when they are young and it will manifest when they grow up. One example of this is Jesus’ first miracle (John 2:1-11). This miracle didn’t heal anyone, raise anyone from the dead or drive out any demon. It was a reflection of what Joseph did when he heard Mary was pregnant with Jesus. Jesus was not going to let this situation embarrass Mary, so he performed the miracle and turned the water into wine. He honored Mary just as Joseph had done in the beginning. Joseph modeled a godly life to all his children and for this reason, God chose him to be the earthly father of his only begotten son, Jesus Christ.