Divine Moments: Divine Obedience

        Divine Moments – Sermon Notes                                                                                                  Pastor Brad Myers

Divine Obedience                                                                                                                              December 1, 2024

“I never thought this would happen.” How many times have we said this after the fact? Then we sit back and say, “I have no idea what to do next.” You’re face to face with a decision that quite possibly could alter the course of your life. At that very moment in time you’re so overwhelmed how could you even know what to do next?

We don’t evaluate life by time, we evaluate life by moments.

• Rarely remember a whole year/month/week/day/hours, etc
• Do remember moments à Phone call, New Job, Special News, Birth, Death, etc.
• I remember when…..

I don’t always remember the time, but I always remember the moment.

This Series – Divine Moments: 4 Divine Christmas Moments

You have no idea what God is going to do through one moment of your obedience.

·      You’ve heard a hundred messages on obedience, but I doubt you’ve ever heard a message on a divine moment of obedience.

• Some moments were Prompted: Say—Give—Do… And We Do It!!

o   We Look back: Amazed all God did – One moment obedience.

• Other times Prompted: Say—Give—Doà Not Easy – We Don’t.

o   Look back w/ regret: What blessing did I miss? Didn’t obey.

It’s Just Hard to Obey!!

• Obey is just not in our DNA

Let’s jump at a special moment of the Christmas Story

Matthew 1:18 (NLT)

Mary gets all the press, but what about Joseph?

Q) Who loves Joseph?

Joseph who is one of the most important, yet least talked about characters, in all of the Bible.

• We just don’t know much about Joseph.

He’s a carpenter

Mattew 13:55 (NLT)

He’s a righteous and faithful man

Matthew 1:19 (NLT)

Descendant of King David

Luke 2:4 (NLT)

Mary’s husband

Matthew 1:16 (NLT)

Jesus’ earthly father

John 1:45b (NLT)

Outside of that, we don’t know hardly anything at all about him. But we do know that one moment of obedience helped bring about a change that impacts all of us, even today.

·     Joseph in scripture a little bit in the early years of Jesus.

·     The last time he is mentioned is when Jesus is 12. and then he disappears.

·     Most scholars believe that he died because they would not have likely divorced, so he probably would’ve been mentioned, Jesus stayed at home until he was 30. It was actually tradition to stay at the house of your mom if she was a widow until you were 30. On the Cross, Jesus instructed John to care for His mother and make her his own.

Joseph Engaged to Mary:

• She’s not 24 or 25… like 14, maybe 13.
• Tells Joseph, by the way, I’m pregnant.
• Devastating beyond measure.
• Engagements weren’t just proposals
• 1^st Century Jewish Engagement was legal agreement of marriage.
• Can’t consummate the marriage until after the public ceremony.
• f Mary was with another man: Life ruining scandal.
• Disobeyed God—Dishonored family—Disgraced Joseph.
• Deuteronomy 22: Joseph could have her stoned.
• Common Bring before city council—Shame publicly Clear Joseph’s name.
• No way to support herself: Normally became a Prostitute for support
• Joseph’s tough spot.
• Remember Joseph is a righteous man: Didn’t want to disgrace Mary
• Break engagement quietly.

Joseph didn’t realize that his lowest moment in his life would end up being his holiest moment.

He’s contemplating what to do

Matthew 1:20 (NKJV)

• Before we look at what Joseph did, I want to look at what he didn’t do.
• Didn’t explain away—Just dream.
• Didn’t argue w/ God—Not fair.
• Didn’t ask for 2^nd Sign?
• Didn’t ask for clarifying details?

Matthew 1:24 (NLT)

You don’t have to understand completely to obey immediately.

• We don’t need to understand it perfectly.
• We don’t need every single detail.
• We don’t need everything ironed out.

We don’t need to know how it’s going to end if God is in the beginning.

Think about all details Joseph didn’t know!

• He didn’t know that around nine months of pregnancy there was going to be a decree that he had to go to Bethlehem for a census.
• Travel 100 miles on donkey, horseback, drove, or flew United Airlines.
• Horrible winter weather, snowing and freezing.
• Navigate wild animals and possible thieves.
• Their baby would be born in a barn next to farm animals.
• King Herod would later issue a degree that all the boys under two would be killed.
• They had to go on the run.
• The weight of knowing innocent baby boys everywhere were being killed because of their baby and he remained safe!
• Joseph had no idea but obeyed immediately the dream!

At some point, God is going to speak to you through his word or prompt you by his spirit and he’s going to lead you to do something without knowing the details and your divine moment will arrive!!

Obedience is our responsibility—the outcome is God’s responsibility.

We always want more information…

We don’t need to know more; we just need to do more of what we already know.

·      Let’s just be obedient to what God has already said.

·      Joseph didn’t have the details, and he still did what the angel of the Lord told him to do.

Matthew 1:20 (MSG)

The problem for us is

Some of us live by “trying to figure a way out” that we miss the very divine, life-changing, moment, we are searching for!

·      Joseph didn’t remain in this mode…

Here’s the Result

Matthew 1:20-21 (NLT)

·      Joseph faced serious opposition for obedience!

·      My life: Every significant faith-filled act obeyed was met with Significant opp.

Don’t worry when you face opposition for your obedience to God! Worry when you don’t!

You have no idea what God is going to do through one moment of your divine obedience.