Today many people look to men whom they believe are heroes. Sometimes they are the obvious choice: soldiers returning from war, first responders of a catastrophe, or someone who has done something extraordinary that has defied all odds. Without a doubt this could qualify any man as a hero. But what about a man of God? What makes a man of God?
What about the man who stands behind the scene to help make something great happen? Perhaps a hero could also be someone who was an unlikely choice in an unlikely situation against unlikely odds. Joseph the father of Jesus was such a man. But Joseph was not just a hero, he was a man of God.
What made Joseph so unique was not who he was or where he came from. What made Joseph a hero was the fact that he possessed the character of a man of God. Joseph was a poor carpenter with limited means and he faced great difficulty. After being engaged to his young bride-to-be Mary, he found out she was already pregnant. Joseph had every right to call off the marriage. The law of the old testament gave him every right to publicly disgrace not only Mary but her father right in front of his house! But Joseph did not do that. So if you read the gospel of Matthew 1:18-25, you will find three characteristics that made Joseph a man of God.
First, Men of God hear from God. Joseph did not react sharply or make any quick decision, instead, he slept on it. Sometimes we as men need to respond the same way when faced with difficult choices. Certainly Joseph himself was uncertain what to do. In verse 20 the Scripture tells us he “considered this.” Certainly Joseph was weighing his options and the consequence of how he might handle the situation. But since Joseph decided to sleep on it God spoke to Joseph through an angel. The angel spoke to Joseph and calmed his fears when the angel said in verse 20, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.” God honored Joseph’s patience and consequently he gain counsel from the Lord just when he needed it most. As men we all need to be patient and wait to hear from God when we need it most.
Second, Men of God trust God. Joseph was being placed in what seemed like an unfair situation. Why should he have to take Mary when the child she was carrying was not his’? Joseph was under no further obligation to marry Mary. In the face of being ridiculed, and having to care for a child that was not his own Joseph trusted God because he had heard from God. Even though what he heard would have seemed impossible, verse 20: “because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Men of God not only hear from God, they trust God even when it seems impossible and crazy, they trust God. Bill Hybels wrote in his book, The Power of a Whisper that, “If you ever find yourself with a difficult assignment, why not try giving God thanks for trusting you with something that needs your particular strength. He assigns tasks to the right person every time. He did it throughout history, and He still does it today.” Trusting in God often reveals more of what we believe in Him rather than ourselves.
Third, Men of God obey God. Today especially, people don’t like being told what to do, but we often need to do it. Joseph not only heard from God and trusted God, he obeyed God. Obedience is saying yes to whatever God asks of you. That’s what Joseph did, he obeyed God. Verse 24 said, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Obeying God also means without delay. Joseph did what he was told to do as soon as he awoke from his sleep. He didn’t try to rationalize or somehow do only a portion of what he thought he could manage. He did exactly what God commanded him to do.
Finally, Joseph was already in a position to do all these things because he already had a right relationship with God. Previously before Joseph considered, slept, and acted, he was able to do all these things because he already had a right relationship with the Lord. Before these three areas are observed look previously at verse 19 the Scripture says, “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man…” The translation from the Greek word for righteous in this verse is described as “the act of doing what was right in agreement with God’s standard; the state of being in a proper relationship with God.”
Before any man can live his life as a man of God, he has to be in a right relationship with God before he can be expected to respond like Joseph did. Just like a child has to crawl before it can walk, men need to learn to start of right before they can finish right. If you want to be able to be like Joseph, you have to be willing to do what he did, and that starts with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Scripture testify in Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Are you ready to become a man of God? If so I invite you to view these simple steps to peace with God. Steps to Peace with God
