Hope and Healing: Clearing Things Up
Pastor Rollan Fisher
Focus: What I misunderstood, God can make clear, so that I can be redeemed and healed in Jesus Christ.
What I Misunderstood
What God Made Clear Can Be
Redeemed and Healed in Christ
What I Misunderstood
Though just, Joseph did not perceive everything that God was doing clearly.
Matthew 1:18-25 ESV
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”
Joseph was a just man, but sometimes our perception of justice can get in the way of what God is actually doing.
We can misunderstand God’s plan which is found in the gospel of God’s grace that would be revealed in Jesus.
*You can have the right intentions but be on the wrong path.
What are some modern applications of this?
THERE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A FEW FAMILY DIVISIONS CAUSED BY POLITICAL STRIFE AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS IN OUR CULTURE.
COULD HAVE BEEN THE CASE WITH JOSEPH AND MARY
WHAT HAS CAUSED FAMILIAL STRIFE AND DIVISION BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE MISUNDERSTANDINGS FOR YOU THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?
Jesus came to bring the pathway to forgiveness and healing, salvation and redemption, even in families.
What can I do like Joseph to help diffuse and heal situations/relationships like Joseph?
It was not because of actual sin, but Mary’s perceived sin that caused Joseph to almost miss what God was doing.
In what way have you allowed misunderstandings and hurt to create distance in your marriage, with your family or in God-ordained relationships?
*Healing comes when you allow for God’s intervention in regard to what you previously believed to be true.
What God Made Clear Can Be
God can make clear what we previously misunderstood if we have open hearts and minds when looking to Jesus.
The good news is that when we look to go astray, God steps in and speaks whether by the Holy Spirit or through his messengers.
God is more committed to his purposes in Christ and us than we are.
For Joseph, God sent an angel to speak to him in a dream.
God’s communication may not be as pronounced for you and me - God may speak through a trusted friend, a Bible verse or a donkey 😆, but we need to make sure that we are not being wise in our own eyes when relating to others, so that we can be open to listening to what God has to say.
You may have closed your ears to hearing God if you are presently exhibiting any one of the following qualities which God abhors:
Proverbs 6:16-19 ESV
“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”
Proverbs 17:19 ESV
“Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.”
Don’t go dark like Megatron!
You can find your heart and ears open to God again if you take this posture:
Proverbs 18:17 ESV
“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.”
Joseph needed to change his mind, his heart posture and his plans - Joseph needed to come to repentance.
*It was the word of God that allowed Joseph to see clearly - to have a proper interpretation of his circumstances allowing him to rise above his feelings and make a decision based on faith.
Redeemed and Healed in Christ
Because of the cross of Jesus Christ, we all have a second chance for forgiveness and healing.
*Hope can be restored when you realize that God was in the misunderstanding all along.
Re-engaging God’s plan would bring healing to both Joseph and Mary’s hearts.
B shared with me a great quote for the Advent season:
Jesus Christ is our perfect example.
Though seeing clearly and being completely just, Jesus was the better Joseph that humbled himself to reconcile a world that had been set against him in sin.
He called us to repentance and faith that we could once again have a hope to be brought back into friendship with God.
“You can't forgive somebody without absorbing the cost. Either that person pays for it or you do. On the cross, God didn't just forgive us, he paid the cost himself.”
-Timothy Keller
Because Jesus would live sinlessly, die sacrificially at the cross to take the punishment for our mistakes and rise three days later, we have permanent access to this reconciliation with God.
This advent season, may we find our way back to not only God, but one another, as we allow God to restore hope that our relationships might be redeemed and healed in Christ.
Second City Church