God Guides the Faithful — David Servant

Welcome to Heaven Word TV. I'm David Servitt. Stay with me as we look at how.

God’s Guidance in Joseph’s Journey

God guided Joseph and consider how God will guide you. Well thank you so much.

The Magi Worship the King of the Jews

For joining me today. Great to have you back once again as we're continuing our chronological study through the New Testament and we've just begun our journey. We're of course studying the life of Christ starting in Matthew chapter 1.

We're now in chapter 2. Previously we were looking at the story of the arrival of the Magi from the East who were coming to present their gifts before Jesus and we talked about how they must have had some supernatural revelation in order to do what they did.

They traveled perhaps months maybe even years. Just seeing a star in the sky isn't enough to know that you're coming to worship the King of the Jews and so somehow God revealed to these Gentiles and there probably were a lot more than three.

They brought three different gifts but it weren't necessarily just three wise men who came from the East. God revealed to these Gentiles that something worth traveling for, a historic event had occurred and they were going to be blessed and privileged to be a part of that.

So we left off last time in Matthew chapter 2 and let's start today in verse number 10. All right? Matthew 2 verse number 10. When they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. They were happy to be back on track and after coming into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother and they fell to the ground and worshiped him.

Now who do you worship? Well the pagans do worship statues but they worship them because they're deceived about them because they think this is God I suppose. You know it's not natural normal to bow down and worship before something or someone unless you think that thing is greater than you.

And they believed at bare minimum this was the King of the Jews but you don't you might bow down before a king but you don't worship a king only God should be worshiped. And so here's a really an amazing foreshadowing of God revealing himself to the Gentiles in a public way before a watching Jewish world.

He sent those Gentiles right into the heart I mean just of Israel just six miles south of Jerusalem in Bethlehem they come they announced to all Jerusalem everybody has heard it there's a buzz about the place God has sent Gentiles here to worship the the King of the Jews the Messiah the one whom Micah has foretold would be born in Bethlehem.

What a testimony what a foreshadowing of what was to come. What a amazing indication of God's love for all people not just for the Jews his chosen one he's always trying to help Jews see that you're special but you're you know I love everybody Jesus died for and I sent him to be the Savior of all mankind.

Remember we read this previously God said way back in Genesis when he revealed himself to Abraham he said in your seed all the families of the earth. All the families of the earth not just the family of Abraham Isaac Jacob the descendants of Israel but all the families of the earth will be blessed in your seed.

And that singular seed was Jesus. So he was the Savior of all praise God. And I just love the story. Maybe I'm belaboring the point too much but here are these Gentiles and they're bringing him these very precious gifts.

They in verse number 11 again then opening their treasures they presented him gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh. All right. Some people try to find significance some symbolism and all those things.

I don't know much about that. Okay some prosperity preachers try to tell us that Jesus was rich from the start because he has loaded with gold. I'm more inclined to think that God was thinking about preserving Jesus because there was a plot being formed against him by Herod at that very moment.

Remember he already told the Magi to go there and worship him and then come back to him. So there's a plot being formed to kill him. God's gonna give instructions to Joseph and Mary to get out of there and he's gonna sojourn.

They're gonna sojourn as a family in Egypt for some time. Gold is probably that gold that they got was probably God's provision to get him there and sustain him for some time. All right. Wonderful. Now in verse number 12 and having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod the Magi left for their own country by another way.

So they bought some time for Jesus and and his family. Verse number 13. Now when they had gone behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said get up take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you for Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him and so this is one way that God might lead us.

Joseph’s Flight to Egypt

But this is not the only way that God might lead us. I can't tell you that I've been led frequently through dreams. I can't tell you that I've had an awful lot of dreams over the years. And if I was to think that every dream I had was from God I would be a very very confused person.

And I'd be all over the place doing all kinds of strange things. So just because you have a dream doesn't mean it's from God. You know it's proven scientific fact that people are dreaming all the time.

You know when they go deep into sleep and most of us don't even remember our dreams. But if you have a dream from God you know God's able to make you help you to understand this is not just because you ate too much pizza.

This is a dream from me. An angel appears to Joseph and says get up and flee because Herod's gonna try to search for the child to destroy him. And so Joseph obeys and he got up and he took the child his mother while it was still night and he left for Egypt.

And so God didn't give him a whole lot of forewarning did he. I mean it was urgent get out of there right away that very night you're under the cloak of darkness. All right. And let's see verse number 14.

So Joseph got up and took the child his mother while was still night left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. Death of Herod is kind of just spoken of as a incidental thing Herod died.

And I would add as a commentary Herod died and went to hell because he was selfishly ambitious he did not love Jesus. He did not rejoice in the birth of the King of the Jews he was only threatened by Jesus.

Okay so we'll.

Talk about that as we continue in this story. All right be right back. Okay let's.

Continue with our study of the life of Jesus Christ working chronologically through the New Testament. We're now back again in Matthew chapter 2. Looking at the flight to Egypt. Matthew chapter 2 and verse number 14.

Jesus remained there in Egypt until the death of Herod. This was for was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet out of Egypt. I called my son. Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the Magi he became very enraged.

And he sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity from two years old and under according to the time which he had determined from the Magi. And so this gives us again a little bit of insight as to how old Jesus was when the Magi visited him.

Or perhaps how long it took for the Magi to travel. Herod used what they told him as a reference point. Let's see if I'm gonna eliminate this King of the Jews who's the threat to me. I'm gonna to be safe.

I'm gonna have to kill every child in Bethlehem and all around there under two years of age. And that's exactly what he did. Now a question could be asked at this point in time. And I've certainly asked this question at times.

You know God was able to warn Joseph and Mary to get out of town before Herod's soldiers got there to kill all the children. God obviously knew what was going to happen. He warned Jesus. So why weren't the other mothers and fathers warned.

Why didn't God prevent the deaths of all those little precious children. I mean that it was a horrible horrible thing. The little sentences that we read in passing here don't do it justice. The terror of that day when the soldiers rode into Bethlehem and other places around there snatching up children little children you know toddlers and babies and ripping them from their mother's arms and killing them.

I mean this is a horrible Holocaust. And so God could have prevented it. Why didn't he. Well we could ask that question. Couldn't we about any tragedy. And I just have to say there there's no pat answers there.

You know you could say well they all deserve to die. What little babies deserve to die. You know come on that's hard to swallow. So the only thing that I can bring that I am sure of out of this passage that raises so many questions is simply this.

This indicates to us that Jesus was very special. Okay. His value was greater than the value of all those other children who died in the slaughter of Herod. In fact if you took the value of all children around the world and threw in all the adults together the entire population of the earth and put them in a scale and put Jesus over here here to value him and put all those other people the world's population on this side of scale.

And it was a scale that measured value it would tip to Jesus aside. In fact it would that. That's an understatement. It it it would in a microsecond tip to the other side and those people would fly off in out into infinity in space.

Because the value of Christ as God as the Son of God is of no comparison to the value of those of us who are just human beings. Okay you say well what difference does that make. Well it makes some difference.

It helps us understand why Jesus was uniquely preserved but also helps us to understand how one person's death and suffering on the cross can atone for the sins of hundreds of millions and potentially billions of people.

You know if I was to be the one who was going if I was sinless first of all and I was to be chosen to die or I voluntarily gave my life to die to save to be as to be a Savior. I could only potentially save one person because I'm just one person.

So you give a life for a life that's only fair. But can you see how the Lord Jesus Christ being of infinite value by his relatively short sufferings. And I'm not downplaying his sufferings at all but because he suffered horribly he bore upon him our sin in his body on the cross.

He suffered the wrath of God. He was separated from God the Father. He cried out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me. You see. So he did suffer he did die but not suffering. Now he came back it's a life.

And so forth he seated the right hand of God the Father for the joy set before him. He endured the cross you see. So how could that act by one person for a limited amount of time somehow pay the penalty to to to release potentially billions of people from you know their rightful place in hell.

It's who it's who it was. It was Jesus. Okay so a little gospel message thrown in there as we look at this tragic event. And so Matthew goes on in verse number 17 to say that what then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled.

Jeremiah’s Prophecy of Rachel Weeping

And he quotes from Jeremiah in verse 18 the voice was heard in Rama weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeping for her children and she refused to be comforted because they were no more. Now that's a little bit of a cryptic prophecy.

And you say well what does that got to do with the fulfillment of the slaughter of all these innocents there in Bethlehem and the surrounding regions. Well if you know the story of Rachel of course she's a wife of Jacob renamed Israel as they were making a journey right in that same area when Rachel was giving birth to the son who was ultimately named Benjamin.

She had tough labor and she died in labor. And it was right in Bethlehem of Ephrata. And that's of course contained in Scripture. And so you know somehow symbolically by her death and her mourning and so forth right in that area she's identified with that with the city of the town of Bethlehem and that's where this happened.

And all these mothers are crying for their children. Okay. So yeah it's cryptic it's vague but it's explained to us now. Jeremiah nailed it. Okay. But when Herod died behold an angel the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said get up take the child and his mother and go into the land of Israel for those who sought the child's life or dead.

And so here's some further guides which you want to talk about a little bit more.

Next time okay be right. Back. All right. Let's continue in. Matthew chapter 2 I.

General Obedience Before Specific Guidance

Want to read once again what we read previously verses 19 and 20 because in this segment I want to talk about God's guidance. God led Joseph on this occasion through a dream and that is one way that God leads us.

But that's not the only way God leads us I would say in my experience over the years trying to determine God's guidance more than any other way God guides us of course through his Bible and through the scripture.

I got a copy of the Bible on my computer here in case you're wondering why I'm pointing to my computer. God's looking for people who are going to obey his general commandments to everybody. And it would make sense.

Wouldn't it that before he begins to give us specific guidance. Oh you know he'd want us to be following his general guidance that applies to everybody. And so when people are looking for specific guidance they first need to ask themselves am I already following the guidance God gave me.

Why should I expect God to give me more guidance if I'm not following the guidance he already has given me all. Right. So God gives his guides listen closely to people who are obedient to holy people and come on.

Isn't that just borne out in scripture as well as in our own experience and so forth people that are going their own way God's not apt to give them specific guidance because they're not listening to the general guidance anyways.

Right. And then here's something else to learn. That same principle applies God even even in a specific guidance. God first gives general guidance. Like for example anyone who has been called by God to serve in vocational ministry.

Now everybody's called to serve in ministry but vocational that is you're gonna do this for a living. You know every day of your life. Or you might can take the weekends offshore. God gives them that calling but they don't know exactly what he wants for them yet.

And you know you start off doing something for the Lord. That's it. God calls you. You know you're called. So you do. You take whatever opportunity he gives you first you prove your faithfulness and small things.

God has given you some general guidance beyond just the scripture. Now he's calling you to vocational ministry. You do whatever your hand finds to do to prove your faithfulness. And then God begins to hone you in to what he has prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

God’s Guidance Unfolds in Stages

And it's absolutely lovely. And it takes years. Let me tell you. And anyone who's been in vocational ministry can tell you the same thing he hones you and hones you down as you prove your faithful. And again we all are unfaithful at times we blow it yours truly.

I'm a perfect example of the person who's blown it. But God's mercy is new every morning thank God for that. You get up when you fall and you get back in the race. And then he gives you more guidance and eventually you get right into that niche that he's been preparing for you for a long time.

So we're gonna see that today in how God guided Joseph verse 19. But when Herod died behold an angel the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said get up take the child his mother and go into the land of Israel.

For those who sought the child's life are dead. Okay. What was the guidance. Okay you're in Egypt right. Now you're gonna go to Israel. Israel is a pretty pretty good-sized place. Okay go there. Okay.

Well if he gets there he knows he's in the right country. And is it optional where he lives. Well actually not. As we continue to read this story so Joseph got up verse 21 took the child his mother and came into the land of Israel.

So now he's followed the initial guidance that God has given them. He's in the right country verse 22. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod who died a few verses ago he was afraid to go there.

Okay so he's trying to figure out where am I supposed to go in in Israel. And then after being warned by God in a dream. So here's another dream he left for the regions of Galilee. Right. So Israel was divided north and south Judea and Galilee.

And he's getting a little bit closer now it's a little bit more specific and he's warned by God you know in a dream we don't get the specifics there. But as it was all that dream and as all of his fear of the Herod's son he heads toward the regions of Galilee.

And of course Galilee was where I did I yeah I made one mistake. Galilee is just a region that is in the northern part of Israel and and that's where Jesus spent a lot of his time in ministry. Okay. And and he came and he lived in a city called Nazareth and so we can be sure although it's not said to us in the previous verse that that's the city where God directed to him to go in Galilee.

Okay. And this was to fulfill was spoken through the prophets he shall be called a Nazarene. So you know it's nailed right there that it was God's will for him to go to Nazareth. But you see that's not what he told him at first.

No sir he told him first of all get up get out of here go to Israel. General guidance he makes the step of faith. He begins moving the right direction. He gets across the border into Israel. And now it becomes more specific.

I want you in the region of Galilee. I want you in a town called Nazareth. And apparently that is the town where Jesus Christ spent quite a few years of his childhood growing up. Okay now again let's bring it home an application to our own lives.

Walking in the Good Works God Prepared

It doesn't matter whether you're called to vocational ministry or not everybody it means you has the God has prepared good works from the foundation of the world that you should walk in them. Specific things.

Not vocational ministry necessarily but specific things. Well you can be praying for God to give you that guidance. But he probably isn't gonna get you right into that perfect niche that he had planned for you until you start doing what scripture says following the general commandments.

Right. Okay. And then as you seek his guidance doing whatever your hand finds to do to prove that you'll do anything. Lord I just am your obedient servant. I want to follow you. And as you take those steps of faith the guidance month by month sometimes it's year by year you slowly slowly slowly as you prove your faithfulness get closer and closer to God's perfect will for you.

Okay. Good lesson to learn. And if you know that. Wow you are indeed blessed. Okay. Well thanks for joining me. See you next time.