WEBVTT 00:00:01.389 --> 00:00:06.330 Now listen, dikaios, sadik, these words are the 00:00:06.330 --> 00:00:09.669 whole key to the story. These toss them out, 00:00:09.689 --> 00:00:12.369 you turn Joseph into some sanitized Boy Scout. 00:00:13.009 --> 00:00:15.750 But with them, you see a man choosing mercy when 00:00:15.750 --> 00:00:19.390 the law said stone her. That's the gospel, cracking 00:00:19.390 --> 00:00:31.379 open, right there in the dark. Tonight we continue 00:00:31.379 --> 00:00:35.600 our Advent series, In Those Days, four nights 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:38.899 at the edge of Bethlehem with a quiet figure 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:42.759 who often slips past us in the nativity scene, 00:00:43.060 --> 00:00:49.179 Joseph. No halo yet, no recorded words, just 00:00:49.179 --> 00:00:52.200 a man whose obedience didn't come with applause. 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:56.799 In a world where walking away is easy, Joseph 00:00:56.799 --> 00:01:00.960 chose to stay and... That simple act of faith, 00:01:01.140 --> 00:01:06.659 quiet, costly, unseen, carried the weight of 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:10.439 God's promise. If you've ever felt overlooked, 00:01:10.739 --> 00:01:13.980 unappreciated, or tempted to give up when no 00:01:13.980 --> 00:01:17.420 one's watching, Joseph's story is going to speak 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:23.159 to you. And hey, look, here we are every Wednesday 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:26.280 night. It's our midweek meal. And of course, 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:29.700 We're right in the thick of the Advent season, 00:01:29.900 --> 00:01:33.700 Christmas Eve, just around the corner. The lights 00:01:33.700 --> 00:01:36.659 are all up in the sanctuary. We've got fresh 00:01:36.659 --> 00:01:39.439 coffee and a little hot chocolate waiting for 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:43.219 you tonight. No pressure, no polish, just space 00:01:43.219 --> 00:01:48.019 to breathe, learn, and be reminded God is with 00:01:48.019 --> 00:01:53.200 us, even in the shadows. I'll see you on the 00:01:53.200 --> 00:02:01.040 other side. We are running a little bit behind 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:03.599 here because of my rant. And so I'm going to 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:05.739 very quickly look to my friend Wayne here with 00:02:05.739 --> 00:02:10.280 the big thumbs up. So week two of our Bible study 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:12.659 series in which we're looking at the nativity 00:02:12.659 --> 00:02:16.780 story. And the way that we're doing it, it's 00:02:16.780 --> 00:02:19.960 called Four Nights in Bethlehem. And we started 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:22.360 last week and we looked at Mary. We're going 00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:24.979 to look at Joseph. And then we're going to end 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:29.289 up on Christmas Eve, which is a Wednesday. No 00:02:29.289 --> 00:02:32.689 dinner and Bible study on Christmas Eve. But 00:02:32.689 --> 00:02:34.909 we will be having our Christmas Eve candlelight 00:02:34.909 --> 00:02:38.430 service at 7 p .m. And that will be our fourth 00:02:38.430 --> 00:02:41.270 stop. And when we get to the end of the series, 00:02:41.389 --> 00:02:43.930 we're going to be standing in a field with a 00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:48.150 bunch of shepherds as the sky breaks open. So, 00:02:48.229 --> 00:02:51.949 that's kind of the map, the place that we're 00:02:51.949 --> 00:02:56.680 going to. And last week... Just to set the scene 00:02:56.680 --> 00:03:02.240 here, we saw Mary gave to us the theology of 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:06.879 surrender with her words, let it be according 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:10.979 to your word. And this week, we're not moving 00:03:10.979 --> 00:03:14.960 far, actually. We're just one house over. Another 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:19.159 doorway. Another life nobody would have ever 00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:21.639 circled on the census. Tonight, we're going to 00:03:21.639 --> 00:03:26.599 stand with Joseph. No halo in the paintings yet. 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:32.439 No Advent Carol written about him. In fact, no 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:39.259 recorded speech. Zero. No spotlight, just a good 00:03:39.259 --> 00:03:42.180 man with sawdust in his hair, a half -finished 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:45.400 table on his workbench, and a fiancé who just 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:49.639 told him something that made the world fall out 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:55.599 from under his feet. Joseph doesn't ever get 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:59.500 the Magnificat. Joseph doesn't get a chorus of 00:03:59.500 --> 00:04:03.340 angels, at least not while he's awake. Joseph 00:04:03.340 --> 00:04:09.979 gets a dream and a choice. Now, this is a man 00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:14.759 that Scripture calls righteous. Important word 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:19.399 for tonight, righteous. Not because he won an 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:22.459 argument, not because he protected his reputation. 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:29.779 but because he chose mercy when the law gave 00:04:29.779 --> 00:04:35.180 him permission to walk away. And if you've ever 00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:39.139 been tempted to bolt, to quit, to say, I didn't 00:04:39.139 --> 00:04:42.959 sign up for this, you're going to find a friend 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:48.259 in Joseph tonight. So let's walk slow, breathe 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:52.870 deep. Let Matthew tell us the story only the 00:04:52.870 --> 00:04:56.670 way Matthew can. But before scripture rises in 00:04:56.670 --> 00:05:02.009 our ears, let us sit with this truth. Sometimes 00:05:02.009 --> 00:05:07.170 the holiest thing you can do is simply stay. 00:05:08.569 --> 00:05:13.870 Not because staying is easy. Not because it looks 00:05:13.870 --> 00:05:17.329 respectable. Not because anyone will notice or 00:05:17.329 --> 00:05:22.829 applaud. is weaving salvation through your obedience, 00:05:23.009 --> 00:05:26.110 through the decisions that are made in kitchens 00:05:26.110 --> 00:05:29.129 and workrooms, through the faithfulness that 00:05:29.129 --> 00:05:35.269 no camera captures, through the stay when leaving 00:05:35.269 --> 00:05:41.430 would be the easier thing to do. And Joseph never 00:05:41.430 --> 00:05:46.769 wrote a psalm, never preached a sermon, never 00:05:46.769 --> 00:05:53.240 spoke. A single recorded word. But his obedience 00:05:53.240 --> 00:05:58.620 echoes louder than most speeches. That's his 00:05:58.620 --> 00:06:02.639 story, and it might be yours too. So friends, 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:06.759 tune your ears to the reading of Scripture, Gospel 00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:08.959 account according to Matthew, the first chapter, 00:06:09.300 --> 00:06:13.860 beginning with verse 18. Now the birth of Jesus, 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:18.339 the Messiah, took place in this way. When his 00:06:18.339 --> 00:06:21.120 mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:23.800 they lived together, she was found to be with 00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:26.759 child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:32.660 being a righteous man and unwilling to expose 00:06:32.660 --> 00:06:36.720 her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:42.339 quietly. But just when he had resolved to do 00:06:42.339 --> 00:06:45.560 this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:50.339 a dream. and said, Joseph, son of David, do not 00:06:50.339 --> 00:06:53.360 be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:56.279 child she conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 00:06:56.660 --> 00:07:00.259 She will bear a son, and you are to name him 00:07:00.259 --> 00:07:03.800 Jesus, for he will save his people from their 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:09.120 sins. All this took place to fulfill what had 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:10.899 been spoken by the Lord through the prophet. 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:14.500 Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son. 00:07:14.990 --> 00:07:18.250 and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 00:07:18.250 --> 00:07:22.829 God with us. When Joseph awoke from his sleep, 00:07:23.050 --> 00:07:26.589 he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, 00:07:26.730 --> 00:07:31.250 and he took her as his wife, but had no marital 00:07:31.250 --> 00:07:33.470 relations with her until she had born a son, 00:07:33.649 --> 00:07:38.370 and she named him Jesus. The word of the Lord, 00:07:38.449 --> 00:07:44.399 friends, slips into a carpenter's dream. and 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:47.899 wakes him into a life he could have never planned. 00:07:49.459 --> 00:07:52.379 Salvation comes wrapped not only in swaddling 00:07:52.379 --> 00:07:56.800 cloth, but in obedience carried out in the dark. 00:07:58.040 --> 00:08:02.759 Choices made before dawn. The man who simply 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:07.959 got up did what the angel commanded. May we hear 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.959 what Joseph heard. May we walk where Joseph walked. 00:08:13.420 --> 00:08:17.699 So I want to start tonight by having you picture, 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:24.399 if you can, somebody who didn't bail when everything 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:30.259 in them said they should have. Maybe it's a father 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:33.700 who stayed even when the house felt too heavy, 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:36.320 when the marriage was hard, when the job was 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:39.019 gone, when the easiest thing to do would have 00:08:39.019 --> 00:08:42.399 just been to disappear. But he kept showing up. 00:08:42.830 --> 00:08:45.690 Kept putting food on the table. Kept coaching 00:08:45.690 --> 00:08:49.230 the little league, even with his own life falling 00:08:49.230 --> 00:08:54.710 apart. Never said much about it, just stayed. 00:08:55.789 --> 00:08:58.490 Maybe it's his spouse who chose covenant over 00:08:58.490 --> 00:09:01.629 convenience. Woke up one morning and realized 00:09:01.629 --> 00:09:04.830 this was not the life that they had imagined. 00:09:05.870 --> 00:09:10.899 She stayed anyway. Not out of grim duty. Out 00:09:10.899 --> 00:09:13.820 of a love that had learned to be stubborn. Love 00:09:13.820 --> 00:09:16.299 that said, I meant what I said at that altar, 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:20.360 even if I didn't know what it would cost me. 00:09:22.580 --> 00:09:25.440 Maybe it's a friend stuck by your side when your 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:29.159 life got messy. When rumors were flying, when 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:31.039 you couldn't lift your head, when the respectable 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:34.379 thing would have been to slowly drift out of 00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:36.500 your orbit and pretend, well, they didn't really 00:09:36.500 --> 00:09:40.149 even know you that well. But they didn't drift. 00:09:40.970 --> 00:09:43.830 They showed up with casseroles and didn't ask 00:09:43.830 --> 00:09:48.090 questions. They sat with you in silence when 00:09:48.090 --> 00:09:52.889 there was nothing helpful to say. Maybe it's 00:09:52.889 --> 00:09:55.610 a mother who raised kids after their daddy left, 00:09:55.769 --> 00:09:58.710 who worked two jobs, still made time for school 00:09:58.710 --> 00:10:02.570 play, never bad -mouthed the man who walked out, 00:10:02.710 --> 00:10:06.710 even though she had every single right to do 00:10:06.710 --> 00:10:10.700 so. There's a certain kind of strength in a person 00:10:10.700 --> 00:10:15.440 like that. Not the loud kind, not the chest -thumping, 00:10:15.539 --> 00:10:21.220 look -at -me kind. The quiet, staying kind. Like 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:23.799 a porch light burning in the dark for prodigals 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:27.200 who haven't found their way home yet. Like a 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:31.399 table set with an extra plate, just in case. 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:36.299 Advent gives us one of those men. Scripture? 00:10:36.789 --> 00:10:39.669 only needs eight verses to show us his whole 00:10:39.669 --> 00:10:43.610 heart. Joseph, again, doesn't say a word in the 00:10:43.610 --> 00:10:46.889 entire New Testament. Not one recorded sentence, 00:10:46.970 --> 00:10:50.809 but what he does might be the loudest sermon 00:10:50.809 --> 00:10:55.250 in the opening chapter of Matthew's Gospel. And 00:10:55.250 --> 00:10:56.889 tonight, we're not going to make Joseph look 00:10:56.889 --> 00:11:01.029 flashy. We're not going to polish him into something 00:11:01.029 --> 00:11:04.070 he's not. We're going to see him the way God 00:11:04.070 --> 00:11:09.240 saw him. a man who didn't walk away, a man whose 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:14.639 righteousness looked like mercy, not moral posturing, 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:19.759 a man who obeyed in the shadows so that salvation 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:25.299 could find the light. Here's the tension, I think, 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:29.919 under this text when it comes to righteousness. 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:36.279 I think when we think of righteousness, We think 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:42.279 of being right, looking right, being perceived 00:11:42.279 --> 00:11:48.360 as right, protecting the image of righteousness 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:54.379 at all costs. In fact, the truth of the matter 00:11:54.379 --> 00:11:58.860 is, we fear shame more than we fear disobedience. 00:11:59.620 --> 00:12:02.659 And we don't say it out loud, but there is a 00:12:02.659 --> 00:12:06.539 soundtrack. playing deep inside each one of us. 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:10.379 I'll do the right thing as long as people still 00:12:10.379 --> 00:12:16.480 think well of me. And Joseph's story exposes 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:23.399 that. Because Joseph's story is going to cost 00:12:23.399 --> 00:12:27.720 him his reputation, his social standing, his 00:12:27.720 --> 00:12:33.559 comfort, and his pride. Nazareth wasn't a big 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:38.580 place. A few hundred people maybe. Everybody 00:12:38.580 --> 00:12:43.279 knew everybody. People talked because people 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:50.720 always talk. And Joseph knew the moment he stayed 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:54.720 with Mary, people would start doing the math 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:58.360 in their heads, counting months on their fingers, 00:12:58.620 --> 00:13:03.549 whispers at the well. The side eye at the synagogue 00:13:03.549 --> 00:13:08.509 will bless their hearts, they'll say, but you 00:13:08.509 --> 00:13:13.350 know how that happened. Now, in the ancient world, 00:13:14.090 --> 00:13:19.269 scandal stuck like burrs in wool. It didn't wash 00:13:19.269 --> 00:13:23.649 off. It followed you around, followed your children. 00:13:25.070 --> 00:13:30.230 Joseph's choice here is going to ruin his reputation. 00:13:31.370 --> 00:13:36.190 And right there, before the angel even shows 00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:42.350 up, you see the kind of man he already is. Her 00:13:42.350 --> 00:13:46.809 husband, Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling 00:13:46.809 --> 00:13:52.389 to expose her to public disgrace, planned to 00:13:52.389 --> 00:13:59.059 dismiss her quietly. Joseph, please note, is 00:13:59.059 --> 00:14:04.059 righteous before the dream. The dream, the visit 00:14:04.059 --> 00:14:08.580 from the angel, the decision to do what God said 00:14:08.580 --> 00:14:13.799 did not make Joseph righteous. Scripture says 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:20.259 Joseph was righteous before that. And according 00:14:20.259 --> 00:14:25.679 to Matthew, righteousness looks like mercy, not 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:30.330 punishment. not public vindication, not clearing 00:14:30.330 --> 00:14:35.429 his own name at her expense. Before heaven speaks 00:14:35.429 --> 00:14:39.429 a single word, Joseph has already chosen kindness 00:14:39.429 --> 00:14:45.789 over correctness. He's already said no, no, to 00:14:45.789 --> 00:14:48.649 the impulse to shame someone in order to protect 00:14:48.649 --> 00:14:53.309 himself. He's already refused the path of vengeance, 00:14:53.389 --> 00:14:59.539 dressed up as holiness. Mercy is Joseph's default 00:14:59.539 --> 00:15:03.539 setting. And that's the kind of righteousness 00:15:03.539 --> 00:15:08.740 heaven trusts with the greatest secret. Now, 00:15:08.779 --> 00:15:11.299 before they lived together, she was found to 00:15:11.299 --> 00:15:14.200 be with child. That's how Matthew breaks the 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:21.000 news here. Clinical. Almost legal language. But, 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:28.019 put your sandals on. To Joseph? This was heartbreak. 00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:31.679 This was the floor dropping out underneath him. 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:35.820 This was every single plan he had made for his 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:39.919 life, theirs together, crumbling in a single 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:46.059 conversation. Now, let me also stop here and 00:15:46.059 --> 00:15:49.799 explain how, in the first century, betrothal 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:54.299 worked. In first century Judaism, engagement 00:15:54.299 --> 00:15:58.220 wasn't like engagement today. A promise you could 00:15:58.220 --> 00:16:04.259 call off with an awkward conversation. Or text. 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:10.860 Betrothal was actually legally binding. Mary 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:14.639 was already Joseph's wife in the eyes of the 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:17.399 law. They just hadn't consummated the marriage 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:24.240 yet. Breaking a betrothal. require a formal divorce. 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:31.259 So, Joseph had three legal options. One, expose 00:16:31.259 --> 00:16:36.200 her publicly, bring her before the elders, Deuteronomy 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:40.980 chapter 22 gives him that right, clear his name, 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:45.039 and let her face the consequences, which could 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:49.789 have included stoning to death. if the community 00:16:49.789 --> 00:16:54.629 was strict about it. Now, another option, number 00:16:54.629 --> 00:17:00.190 two, break the engagement loudly. Divorce her 00:17:00.190 --> 00:17:04.390 publicly and let the community do the shaming 00:17:04.390 --> 00:17:11.109 for it. His hands stay technically clean. Number 00:17:11.109 --> 00:17:15.549 three, dismiss her quietly. Write the divorce 00:17:15.549 --> 00:17:19.140 papers, keep it private. protect her from disgrace, 00:17:19.579 --> 00:17:24.859 lose face himself. Joseph chooses door number 00:17:24.859 --> 00:17:29.700 three. And Matthew calls that righteousness. 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:35.259 But we don't usually define righteousness like 00:17:35.259 --> 00:17:39.940 that. We want righteousness that wins arguments, 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:44.680 that clears our name, that makes sure everyone 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:51.089 knows We were the wrong party. Joseph shows us 00:17:51.089 --> 00:17:55.009 a righteousness that absorbs embarrassment rather 00:17:55.009 --> 00:17:59.089 than inflicting it. He's already living the sermon 00:17:59.089 --> 00:18:01.470 on the mount before Jesus ever gets around to 00:18:01.470 --> 00:18:06.670 preaching it. Now, let's also look at the dream, 00:18:06.750 --> 00:18:10.349 but just... When he had resolved to do this, 00:18:10.369 --> 00:18:14.750 right when Joseph had made peace with the merciful 00:18:14.750 --> 00:18:18.789 decision, God interrupted his life. An angel 00:18:18.789 --> 00:18:22.029 appeared in a dream. Joseph, son of David, do 00:18:22.029 --> 00:18:25.569 not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. That 00:18:25.569 --> 00:18:29.930 phrase, do not be afraid, tells us everything 00:18:29.930 --> 00:18:35.809 we need to know. Because Joseph is terrified. 00:18:37.289 --> 00:18:42.630 Not of Mary, not of the baby. Terrified at what 00:18:42.630 --> 00:18:47.549 obedience will cost him. Terrified of what people 00:18:47.549 --> 00:18:50.890 are going to say. Terrified of a life he didn't 00:18:50.890 --> 00:18:55.950 plan. Terrified of a calling that makes absolutely 00:18:55.950 --> 00:19:01.190 no sense. And notice, heaven doesn't start with 00:19:01.190 --> 00:19:04.970 an explanation. Heaven starts with a reassurance. 00:19:05.250 --> 00:19:10.369 Do not be afraid. The comfort comes before the 00:19:10.369 --> 00:19:15.089 command. Then the instruction. Take her as your 00:19:15.089 --> 00:19:19.069 wife. Not tolerate her from a distance. Not wait 00:19:19.069 --> 00:19:24.329 until this scandal passes over. Take her. Stand 00:19:24.329 --> 00:19:31.069 with her. Stand and share in her shame. Lean 00:19:31.069 --> 00:19:36.059 into the humiliation. and trust that God is doing 00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:39.779 something inside of it. Then the revelation, 00:19:40.180 --> 00:19:43.799 you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:47.240 people from their sins. Now, I want to stop again 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:50.180 here, because what's about to start happening 00:19:50.180 --> 00:19:55.420 is very important symbolically. Remembering, 00:19:55.420 --> 00:19:58.779 perhaps, or learning for the first time, the 00:19:58.779 --> 00:20:02.099 gospel account of Matthew was pretty well accepted 00:20:02.099 --> 00:20:07.849 to have been written for Jewish converts to Christianity, 00:20:08.150 --> 00:20:12.710 Jewish believers of Jesus. His gospel account 00:20:12.710 --> 00:20:17.390 is written as if he expected a Jewish person 00:20:17.390 --> 00:20:22.130 who knew their scriptures to understand everything 00:20:22.130 --> 00:20:25.049 he was saying without him having to explain it. 00:20:25.750 --> 00:20:29.960 So he'll use these little symbols here. that 00:20:29.960 --> 00:20:33.039 Jewish readers would have seen as hyperlinks 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:35.980 to a whole story that they knew in their head 00:20:35.980 --> 00:20:38.539 that we don't have context to. So I'm going to 00:20:38.539 --> 00:20:41.480 try to highlight them without bogging this down. 00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:44.579 So check this out, because right about here is 00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:49.420 where the story gets cool. In the ancient world, 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:54.259 naming a child was the father's right and the 00:20:54.259 --> 00:20:58.759 father's responsibility. Naming the child was 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:05.160 a legal declaration of the man saying, this child 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:09.940 is mine. This child belongs to my household. 00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:18.259 This child carries my lineage and my name into 00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:22.420 the future. Joseph isn't just protecting Mary. 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:27.720 He's becoming... the legal father of the Messiah. 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:34.980 He's grafting the Son of God into David's family 00:21:34.980 --> 00:21:40.779 line, of which he is a member. His obedience 00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:46.660 ties the incarnation to Israel's history. This 00:21:46.660 --> 00:21:52.119 is no small thing. This is salvation coming to 00:21:52.119 --> 00:21:56.430 us through prophecy. From the history of God's 00:21:56.430 --> 00:22:00.309 people moving forward, and it is hinging on a 00:22:00.309 --> 00:22:04.289 carpenter's willingness to say yes. In fact, 00:22:04.470 --> 00:22:09.849 Matthew steps back. He quotes Isaiah 7, 14. He 00:22:09.849 --> 00:22:12.410 doesn't have to explain to the reader who Isaiah 00:22:12.410 --> 00:22:15.829 is. Again, he knows you know what he's saying. 00:22:16.109 --> 00:22:18.930 Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, 00:22:19.109 --> 00:22:22.049 and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 00:22:22.049 --> 00:22:26.289 God with us. And we usually hear God with us 00:22:26.289 --> 00:22:31.769 in candlelight, soft music, Christmas Eve warmth. 00:22:33.849 --> 00:22:37.890 Joseph hears it surrounded by gossip, side -eye, 00:22:38.130 --> 00:22:42.990 and scandal. For Joseph, God with us meant God 00:22:42.990 --> 00:22:46.490 with us in the rumors, in the embarrassment. 00:22:46.509 --> 00:22:50.119 God with us. When doing the right thing looks 00:22:50.119 --> 00:22:53.980 like doing the wrong thing that everybody is 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:59.859 paying attention to. Emmanuel isn't pretty. Emmanuel 00:22:59.859 --> 00:23:04.119 is costly. Emmanuel sticks to you when obedience 00:23:04.119 --> 00:23:08.640 ruins how people are going to look at you. And 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:12.079 then when Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:15.759 as the angel of the Lord commanded him. That's 00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:19.170 the whole verse. No internal dialogue of Joseph. 00:23:20.690 --> 00:23:24.609 No wrestling with the weight of it all. No dramatic 00:23:24.609 --> 00:23:29.390 scene. He woke up. He did it. He took her. He 00:23:29.390 --> 00:23:33.690 named a child. He stepped into a life that would 00:23:33.690 --> 00:23:37.049 be questioned for as long as he lived, but would 00:23:37.049 --> 00:23:41.190 never be forgotten. Joseph becomes the patriot 00:23:41.190 --> 00:23:44.549 saint of those who obey God in a blue -collar 00:23:44.549 --> 00:23:48.740 quiet. No spotlight, no stage, no applause, just 00:23:48.740 --> 00:23:53.140 faithfulness in the shadows. Matthew is a very, 00:23:53.220 --> 00:23:56.640 very careful writer. He doesn't waste words. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:01.240 He doesn't have to explain. When he quotes Micah 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:05.660 5 and 2 a few verses later, from you, Bethlehem, 00:24:05.660 --> 00:24:11.059 shall come a ruler. How did Jesus get to Bethlehem? 00:24:12.779 --> 00:24:17.759 Joseph takes in there. When he quotes Hosea 11 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:20.400 and 1. Guys, these are prophets talking about 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:25.660 the Messiah. Hosea 11 and 1 says, out of Egypt 00:24:25.660 --> 00:24:29.819 I called my son. How did Jesus get to Egypt and 00:24:29.819 --> 00:24:36.359 back? Joseph carried him. When the family settles 00:24:36.359 --> 00:24:39.880 in Nazareth to fulfill yet another prophecy, 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:46.900 Joseph moves them there. Joseph. is the map God 00:24:46.900 --> 00:24:51.119 used to walk the Messiah through all of Scripture's 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:58.079 promises. He never says a word. But every prophecy 00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:03.160 about the Messiah's geography runs through his 00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:10.319 hands and his feet. Plus, I'm naming him as my 00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:14.220 lineage. Salvation depends on the obedience. 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:19.000 of a man the world barely noticed. Now, let me 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:21.559 walk slowly again here. Joseph, again, is not 00:25:21.559 --> 00:25:24.420 just a character in a Christmas story. Joseph 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:29.240 should be a mirror. And the Spirit is asking 00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:32.900 through that mirror tonight, where is God asking 00:25:32.900 --> 00:25:40.240 you not to bail? Where might obedience to God 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:46.880 cost you your image? What decision looks more 00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:51.079 respectable if you walk away, but more faithful 00:25:51.079 --> 00:25:55.980 if you stay? Maybe it's forgiving someone who 00:25:55.980 --> 00:25:59.359 has wounded you deeply. You've been nursing that 00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:03.140 grudge like a low flame, keeping it alive because 00:26:03.140 --> 00:26:08.240 letting it go feels like losing. Maybe it's staying 00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:10.119 present in a marriage that's harder than you 00:26:10.119 --> 00:26:13.269 ever imagined it would be. Nobody sees the work 00:26:13.269 --> 00:26:16.269 you're doing. Nobody knows what it costs to keep 00:26:16.269 --> 00:26:21.650 showing up. You keep showing up anyway. Maybe 00:26:21.650 --> 00:26:23.750 it's telling the truth when a lie would protect 00:26:23.750 --> 00:26:27.589 your reputation. When honesty is going to make 00:26:27.589 --> 00:26:31.890 you look bad. When silence would let people think 00:26:31.890 --> 00:26:35.990 well of you. Joseph teaches us something the 00:26:35.990 --> 00:26:40.890 world doesn't value. Quiet obedience. It's one 00:26:40.890 --> 00:26:45.769 of the loudest forms of faith. Not dramatic faith, 00:26:45.990 --> 00:26:49.170 not spotlight faith, not faith that needs to 00:26:49.170 --> 00:26:54.569 be seen to be real. Just faith that says, I will 00:26:54.569 --> 00:26:59.230 do what God asks, even if nobody claps, even 00:26:59.230 --> 00:27:03.769 if everybody talks, even if my reputation takes 00:27:03.769 --> 00:27:08.549 a hit, even if my obedience might look like failure 00:27:08.549 --> 00:27:12.529 from the outside. Joseph's righteousness didn't 00:27:12.529 --> 00:27:17.150 protect his image. It protected Mary. It protected 00:27:17.150 --> 00:27:21.809 Jesus. And it protected God's unfolding salvation. 00:27:23.230 --> 00:27:26.289 Here's the thing about that kind of faithfulness. 00:27:26.349 --> 00:27:30.490 It rarely gets recognized in the moment. The 00:27:30.490 --> 00:27:33.109 world doesn't throw parades for people who simply 00:27:33.109 --> 00:27:38.549 stay. The world celebrates people who leave dramatically. 00:27:39.660 --> 00:27:43.319 who reinvent themselves, who chase something 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:48.759 shinier. The ones who stay will barely even notice 00:27:48.759 --> 00:27:53.940 until they're gone. Tonight, God may be asking 00:27:53.940 --> 00:27:58.059 you the very same question he asked Joseph. Will 00:27:58.059 --> 00:28:01.640 you protect your image, or will you protect what 00:28:01.640 --> 00:28:06.200 I'm doing? Let's not end in pressure. Let's end 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:10.269 in presence. God who showed up in Joseph's dream 00:28:10.269 --> 00:28:14.769 is the same God who shows up in yours. He doesn't 00:28:14.769 --> 00:28:17.910 come waving a clipboard. He doesn't come with 00:28:17.910 --> 00:28:22.509 shame. He comes with Emmanuel, God with us. God 00:28:22.509 --> 00:28:26.990 with you in your confusion. God with you in your 00:28:26.990 --> 00:28:31.829 embarrassment. God with you in those quiet decisions 00:28:31.829 --> 00:28:37.049 nobody else sees. God with you in the rooms where 00:28:37.049 --> 00:28:40.390 reputation trembles and obedience feels like 00:28:40.390 --> 00:28:44.509 loss. You do not need applause to be faithful. 00:28:45.109 --> 00:28:48.410 You do not need clarity to be obedient. You don't 00:28:48.410 --> 00:28:51.890 need a spotlight or spotless reputation to be 00:28:51.890 --> 00:28:55.730 righteous. You just need willingness. Joseph 00:28:55.730 --> 00:28:59.609 didn't change the world by speaking. He changed 00:28:59.609 --> 00:29:06.160 by staying. We find the grace in the same. And 00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:10.039 go in peace. Next week, we walk with them to 00:29:10.039 --> 00:29:14.819 Bethlehem, where there's no room. God shows up 00:29:14.819 --> 00:29:20.000 anyway. Amen? Amen. Thanks, guys. Thank you. 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:29.240 Maybe tonight God's not asking you to go anywhere 00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:34.079 flashy. Maybe he's just asking you to stay. To 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:37.220 stay faithful when it's hard. To stay kind when 00:29:37.220 --> 00:29:40.799 no one's watching. To stay present when everything 00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:46.119 in you wants to disappear. Joseph didn't save 00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:49.160 the world with a sword or a sermon. He saved 00:29:49.160 --> 00:29:53.859 it by staying. And sometimes, sometimes that's 00:29:53.859 --> 00:29:57.609 the holiest thing we can do. if obedience feels 00:29:57.609 --> 00:30:01.349 small, unseen, or even humiliating right now. 00:30:01.809 --> 00:30:05.089 You know what? You're in good company. Heaven 00:30:05.089 --> 00:30:08.130 has always trusted big things to quiet people, 00:30:08.309 --> 00:30:11.210 so take heart. Friend, you're not forgotten. 00:30:11.509 --> 00:30:16.289 You're not failing. You're just walking the kind 00:30:16.289 --> 00:30:19.589 of path that matters most, the one that honors 00:30:19.589 --> 00:30:23.049 God in the shadows. Hey, thanks for stopping 00:30:23.049 --> 00:30:26.400 by tonight. Just a reminder, This isn't a podcast 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:29.579 studio. This is real church, real pews, real 00:30:29.579 --> 00:30:33.740 coffee, real casseroles. Somebody's grandma puts 00:30:33.740 --> 00:30:37.119 way too much cheese on everything, and we thank 00:30:37.119 --> 00:30:40.079 her for it. If you like what you heard tonight, 00:30:40.200 --> 00:30:42.119 go ahead and throw your like in the offering 00:30:42.119 --> 00:30:45.019 plate as it comes around. And if you want to 00:30:45.019 --> 00:30:47.660 keep walking with us through this Advent season, 00:30:47.819 --> 00:30:50.640 don't forget to tithe your subscribe. That way... 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:53.539 You'll know when we're lighting the next candle. 00:30:53.579 --> 00:30:57.420 Until then, keep showing up, keep staying faithful, 00:30:57.660 --> 00:30:59.559 and be blessed.