Joseph- A righteous man in a complicated world

Joseph was an ordinary man.
He had ordinary plans.
Get married.
Have children.
Work hard.
Settle down.

But his plans were about to change. His whole life was about to be interrupted… and not because he did something wrong, but because God chose him for something far bigger than he ever imagined.

And that’s a familiar place for many of us.
Have you ever had your life change suddenly?
A phone call. A diagnosis. A job change. A crisis.
God often meets us in the moments where our plans fall apart — and He invites us to trust Him the way Joseph did.

Matthew tells us:

(18) This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. (19) Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement  quietly. (20) As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

 (21) And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,  for he will save his people from their sins.” (22) All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: (23) “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!She will give birth to a son,and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (24) When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. (25) But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. 
Matthew 1:18-25 – NLT

Lessons from observing Joseph

Joseph didn’t know the whole story yet.
And in that moment, he had to decide what kind of man he was going to be.

1. Godly men exercise self control and manage their emotions – imagine how he felt. hearing that Mary was pregnant and the child wasn’t his.

• Betrayal… confusion… heartbreak.
  He had every emotional reason to explode.
  Every cultural reason to make the situation public.
  Every legal right to expose Mary.

But he didn’t. it said he was a good man. Even though he was hurt he didn’t give into his lower sinful nature. still caring for Mary he wanted to divorce her quietly so as not to call attention to her.

Application: . there are many who wouldn’t give a second thought about voicing their outrage publicly. We live in a time were people have no problem losing control of themselves and shouting in outrage. We live in a culture where emotional outbursts are almost celebrated. People don’t think twice about blasting others online, shouting in public, or letting anger dominate their decisions.

But Scripture tells us:

“Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” (James 1:20)

What our world needs — what our families need — is more Josephs.
Men who show restraint.
Men who choose wisdom when their emotions are screaming for retaliation.
Men who do what is right even when feelings run hot.

True strength is self-control.
True maturity is restraint.
True righteousness is responding like Joseph.

2. Godly men sacrifice for the needs of their family– these were not josephs plans. but this was bigger than him. this was God’s plan. no doubt he had dreams about what he wanted. but the needs of his family came first.

I watched how my Father sacrificed for our family so mom didn’t have to work she could stay home and raise us kids. And I especially was impressed with how he cared for her in the last 4 years of her life being her caretaker. When The Doctors said there wasn’t anything more they could do for Dad my Brother and I had the same thought. We would take Dad home and do the same for him.

application: Sometimes we have to put our plans on hold and do what needs to be done for our families. if we are always seeking our own happiness at the expense of others we will never know true joy. but when we are willing to surrender especially to God’s will there’s a peace that comes with that.

Sometime plans change quickly and often- Joseph had to uproot his family more than once!

(13) After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”…………..(19) When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. (20) “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of

 Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” (21) So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. (22) But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. (23) So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.” 
Matthew 2:13-23 – NLT

3 . Godly men are called to protect and defend Their Family, the Church and to be an influence for Christ in the culture. 

Notice the angel didn’t go to Mary. he went to Joseph. Why? it always been our role as men to be the protectors and defenders.  I have been told I can be a little “overprotective”

 I remember when we went to Disneyland and took our granddaughter Danity. She was about 10 at the time. And the crowds are huge and i didn’t want to risk her running off and getting lost so I bought the device that you can attach to her shoes . it was in the shape of this little blue bear.. and i had the other part of this device with me and every time she would get more than 10 or so feet away from me it would start beeping. She wanted to take it off but I said. i’m sorry its for your protection. oh she hated that thing. but it did the job. we always knew where she was.

Application: Now I realize that some might say well that’s and old fashioned view but it has nothing to do with traditions or being old fashioned. its not a social construct. God has designed us this way.  even science backs it up.

there’s a fascinating little observation child-development researchers have made.
Give a group of five-year-old girls a couple of sticks and just watch what happens. Almost immediately, the sticks turn into magic wands, cooking utensils, or props in a story. The girls huddle together, talking, planning, and creating a little world with rules and cooperation.

But give five-year-old boys the exact same sticks…
and instantly, without hesitation… those sticks become swords, guns, or superhero weapons. The boys start running, swinging, battling imaginary dragons, and declaring themselves “king of the playground.”

Researchers have seen this same pattern across multiple cultures — the girls gravitate toward relational, imaginative play, while the boys jump straight into physical, competitive play.

What does the role of protector and defender look like?

• God calls men to protect their families from:
• Moral compromise-
• Cultural confusion
• The enemy’s lies

we need men to step up and do the hard things.

“Lord, even when my plans change… I will trust You.”
“Even when emotions rise… I will obey You.”
“Even when it costs me… I will care for the ones You’ve given me.”
“Even when the world is dangerous… I will stand and protect.”

And here’s the beautiful truth:

Joseph protected the One who would one day save him.
And that same Jesus came to save us — from our sin, our failures, our fears, and our broken plans.

So today, like Joseph, may we choose righteousness in a complicated world —
and surrender our lives to the God who is always faithful.