Northlake Church | December 10, 2017 | Mike Garner
Waiting For Jesus | Wait With Obedience | Matthew 1:18-25, 2:13-15, 19-23
Locations & Times
Northlake Church
3610 Lohman Ford Rd, Lago Vista, TX 78645, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Welcome to Northlake Church!
Welcome! We're glad that you found us! As you get to know us, you'll see that we are just like you, people learning what it means to follow Jesus in their everyday life. In order to take away some of the mystery of what happens on Sunday mornings around here, we've jotted down a few tips on visiting Northlake Church for the first time, click the link below to visit our website to get to know us a little better! We pray that today, you are encouraged, that you feel welcomed and that you are reminded just how much Jesus loves you!
http://www.mynorthlake.com/im-newOnline Giving
We believe all that we have comes from the gracious hand of our God. It's not ours to keep; we've been entrusted by Him to be good managers of all that He has given us. So we view the giving of our time, talents and resources to the Lord as an act of worship. Regarding the stewardship of our financial resources, there are several ways we can participate in worship through giving...physically giving at one of our Sunday Gatherings, via check or cash and digitally giving through our church app, our website, or clicking on the link below to access mobile giving. Give as the Lord leads you, not under guilt or compulsion, with a thankful heart. Thank you for worshiping God in this way and being a part of helping Northlake Church accomplish its purpose of making disciples who make disciples!
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Wait With Obedience | Matthew 1:18-25, 2:13-15, 19-23
KEY THOUGHT...
I will obey with FAITH not fear, IMMEDIATELY not delayed, in HIS TIME not mine, and COMPLETELY not partially.
I will obey with FAITH not fear, IMMEDIATELY not delayed, in HIS TIME not mine, and COMPLETELY not partially.
MATTHEW 1:18-25 ESV
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel"(which means, God with us).24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
MATTHEW 2:13-15 ESV
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
MATTHEW 2:19-23 ESV
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel"(which means, God with us).24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
MATTHEW 2:13-15 ESV
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
MATTHEW 2:19-23 ESV
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION...
Timeline: Mary finds out she is to become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. She then visits her relative Elizabeth [LK 1:39] very quickly. After 3 months, Mary returns and has a conversation with Joseph to tell him the news she has been told. Clearly she is showing now and Joseph has to face the reality of this new situation. Either her outlandish story is true, or she has been unfaithful to him while visiting Elizabeth.
Emotions: Joseph must be heartbroken, disappointed, angry. Matthew 1:19 says that he was a “just man”, in this case it meant he was a kind, tender, caring man specifically towards Mary in this situation.
Actions: Joseph was faced with an incredibly difficult, complex situation. He wanted to do the right thing; to please God and bless Mary, if that was even possible. Matthew 1:20 says that he “considered these things”, indicating that he was probably praying about his next steps, seeking God's will. One thing is certain, he didn’t respond in am emotional outbreak, acting rashly or in haste. It seems that, in his justness, he was righteous, kind, calculated and was honoring God with his response, even as he was leaning towards divorcing her quietly.
Timeline: Mary finds out she is to become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. She then visits her relative Elizabeth [LK 1:39] very quickly. After 3 months, Mary returns and has a conversation with Joseph to tell him the news she has been told. Clearly she is showing now and Joseph has to face the reality of this new situation. Either her outlandish story is true, or she has been unfaithful to him while visiting Elizabeth.
Emotions: Joseph must be heartbroken, disappointed, angry. Matthew 1:19 says that he was a “just man”, in this case it meant he was a kind, tender, caring man specifically towards Mary in this situation.
Actions: Joseph was faced with an incredibly difficult, complex situation. He wanted to do the right thing; to please God and bless Mary, if that was even possible. Matthew 1:20 says that he “considered these things”, indicating that he was probably praying about his next steps, seeking God's will. One thing is certain, he didn’t respond in am emotional outbreak, acting rashly or in haste. It seems that, in his justness, he was righteous, kind, calculated and was honoring God with his response, even as he was leaning towards divorcing her quietly.
JOSEPH AND HIS RESPONSE…
The Instruction/Messenger: Just like Zechariah and Elizabeth and just like with Mary, an angel was the messenger that delivered the instruction to Joseph. The only difference in his case was that he did not have a visible appearance of an angel, the angel came to him in a dream. This unidentified angel confirmed the version of the story that Mary shared, instructing Joseph (Matthew 1:20-21) to 1) not be afraid 2) to take Mary as his wife (before the 1 year betrothal period was completed) 3) to name the boy born to her Jesus.
Joseph’s Response: As soon as Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did exactly as the angel had commanded him to do. His obedience was IMMEDIATE and COMPLETE. [vs24-25]
One leads to Another: 4 angelic dreams gave Joseph instruction on God's plan/will about this unique situation with Jesus and Mary [1:20,2:13,2:19, 2:22]
God’s plan and Joseph’s part: There were several prophecies fulfilled as Joseph obeyed
1. In MT1:22, the prophecy in IS 7:14 was fulfilled.
2. In MT2:15, the prophecy in HOS 11:1 was fulfilled.
3. In MT2:23, Matthew does not quote a singular prophecy but refers to "prophets", plural. This could refer to several different things. The first could be a fulfillment of Jesus being the "branch of Jesse" found in Isaiah 11:1. The Hebrew word for branch (Netzer) has the same consonants as Nazareth (NZR) and could be a play on the word to indicate Jesus fulfills this messianic prophecy. Another option would be to associate the area of Nazareth, a place not respected by people, despised and rejected, to point back to the Messiah being despised and rejected in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.
The Instruction/Messenger: Just like Zechariah and Elizabeth and just like with Mary, an angel was the messenger that delivered the instruction to Joseph. The only difference in his case was that he did not have a visible appearance of an angel, the angel came to him in a dream. This unidentified angel confirmed the version of the story that Mary shared, instructing Joseph (Matthew 1:20-21) to 1) not be afraid 2) to take Mary as his wife (before the 1 year betrothal period was completed) 3) to name the boy born to her Jesus.
Joseph’s Response: As soon as Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did exactly as the angel had commanded him to do. His obedience was IMMEDIATE and COMPLETE. [vs24-25]
One leads to Another: 4 angelic dreams gave Joseph instruction on God's plan/will about this unique situation with Jesus and Mary [1:20,2:13,2:19, 2:22]
God’s plan and Joseph’s part: There were several prophecies fulfilled as Joseph obeyed
1. In MT1:22, the prophecy in IS 7:14 was fulfilled.
2. In MT2:15, the prophecy in HOS 11:1 was fulfilled.
3. In MT2:23, Matthew does not quote a singular prophecy but refers to "prophets", plural. This could refer to several different things. The first could be a fulfillment of Jesus being the "branch of Jesse" found in Isaiah 11:1. The Hebrew word for branch (Netzer) has the same consonants as Nazareth (NZR) and could be a play on the word to indicate Jesus fulfills this messianic prophecy. Another option would be to associate the area of Nazareth, a place not respected by people, despised and rejected, to point back to the Messiah being despised and rejected in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.
PRINCIPLES TO FOLLOW...
Principle #1...OBEY WITH FAITH NOT FEAR
Don’t be AFRAID to do what God is instructing you to do
--> “Lord give me Faith instead of Fear”
Principle #2...OBEY IMMEDIATELY NOT DELAYED
Do what God asks you to do RIGHT NOW
--> “Delayed obedience is disobedience”
Principle #3...OBEY IN HIS TIME NOT MINE
WAIT until God gives you instruction before you act…stay connected to him…don’t act in haste…waiting is obeying
--> “Waiting is obedience…it is active, not passive”
Principle #4...OBEY COMPLETELY NOT PARTIALLY
Do EVERYTHING God asks you to do…COMPLETELY
--> “Partial obedience is disobedience”
Principle #1...OBEY WITH FAITH NOT FEAR
Don’t be AFRAID to do what God is instructing you to do
--> “Lord give me Faith instead of Fear”
Principle #2...OBEY IMMEDIATELY NOT DELAYED
Do what God asks you to do RIGHT NOW
--> “Delayed obedience is disobedience”
Principle #3...OBEY IN HIS TIME NOT MINE
WAIT until God gives you instruction before you act…stay connected to him…don’t act in haste…waiting is obeying
--> “Waiting is obedience…it is active, not passive”
Principle #4...OBEY COMPLETELY NOT PARTIALLY
Do EVERYTHING God asks you to do…COMPLETELY
--> “Partial obedience is disobedience”
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER...
What are you afraid to do that God is instructing you to do?
What are you delaying that God has instructed you to do?
Where are you impatient and getting ahead of what God is instructing you to do?
What have you partially completed that God instructed you to do?
WEEK 1..."I will trust you with..."
WEEK 2..."I am your servant...I will surrender ________ to you"
What are you afraid to do that God is instructing you to do?
What are you delaying that God has instructed you to do?
Where are you impatient and getting ahead of what God is instructing you to do?
What have you partially completed that God instructed you to do?
WEEK 1..."I will trust you with..."
WEEK 2..."I am your servant...I will surrender ________ to you"
WEEKLY STATEMENT OF FAITH...
"God I will obey you by doing ____________________"
"God I will obey you by doing ____________________"