God’s Desire

December 04,2022

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• What do you do when life doesn’t make sense?

Life’s second-biggest question:

Will I trust God when life doesn’t make sense?

Obedience is: LOVE+ TRUST + ACTION

John 14:15 - “If you love me, you will obey what I command.

• The great thing that marks Joseph’s life is that he obeyed God. Out of his love relationship with God, he did what God said to do. Even though he didn’t always understand it, he decided to obey God.

Joseph: Four secrets to living a life of obedience:

1. Do it NOW!

Matthew 1:19-25 - Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel ”—which means, “ God with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Psalms 119:60 - I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.

1 John 5:3 - This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not
burdensome,…

2. Keep on TRUSTING.

Matthew 1:25 - “But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 4:8 - We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. TLB

3. Let go of COMFORT.

Matthew 2:13-15 - When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

4. Take the RISK.

Matthew 2:19-2 - After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

Psalms 56:3 - When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

Matthew 2:21-23 - So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Matthew 7:24 – Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Psalms 119:34 - Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

2 John 1:6 - And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.