Christmas Calls You to Faith.

Jake Morris

[0:09] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. [0:11] Good morning, everyone. [0:12] For those that do not know me, my name is Jake [0:15] and I am one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:17] And I am thankful for the opportunity as always [0:20] to open God’s word with you all this morning.

[0:24] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them [0:27] to Matthew 1, which is going to be our main text [0:30] this morning. [0:31] But I hope this week that you had [0:33] an incredible Thanksgiving. [0:35] I hope that you took the encouragement from last Sunday,

[0:38] that you took some time on your own [0:40] to thank God for everything He has given into your life. [0:44] I also hope that you ate a very large amount of food. [0:47] And if you were like me, it didn’t stop with one meal, [0:50] it stopped with about five. [0:53] And then after that, you took that post-Thanksgiving nap,

[0:56] which is always glorious. [0:58] But now that we are past Thanksgiving, [0:59] we can finally put to rest one of the biggest fights [1:02] among Christians at the Christmas season. [1:05] For some in this room, as soon as you stop handing out [1:09] that last piece of candy on Halloween,

[1:13] magically your house turns into a Christmas house. [1:16] And then for others who have not progressed [1:20] to that level of sanctification, I mean, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. [1:23] For others, you’re like, we give Thanksgiving, it’s due. [1:26] I know why you do it. [1:27] You wanna give Thanksgiving its time.

[1:30] But that’s past. [1:31] We are now officially in the Christmas season. [1:34] So as one, we can all say, Merry Christmas together. [1:39] Praise the Lord. [1:40] And Christmas is my favorite time of year. [1:42] I look forward to it every time it comes around

[1:46] and everything that it brings. [1:47] But one thing I’ve already noticed, [1:49] and I hope you’ve noticed this too, [1:50] is that people are just nicer. [1:52] At Christmas, my neighbors talk to me more. [1:55] It’s just more engaging.

[1:57] When you go to the store, people don’t look as mad, [1:59] but people are in a better mood. [2:00] There’s Christmas music everywhere. [2:02] There’s Christmas lights galore, [2:04] especially living in Richmond with the Taki Light Tour. [2:07] We have Christmas parties, Christmas cookies.

[2:09] I really love those. [2:11] Giving presents and getting presents. [2:13] We have the Christmas services here at Village [2:15] and the list goes on and on and on. [2:18] It really is the most wonderful time of the year. [2:22] But I don’t know about you,

[2:23] but there have been many Decembers in my life [2:27] when I feel like my schedule gets so full [2:30] and that life happens so quickly, [2:33] that you can get to Christmas day and realize [2:35] that you actually have not taking much time at all [2:38] to reflect on the Christmas season,

[2:40] to reflect on the reason we celebrate this time of year. [2:44] You see, Christmas is a time each year [2:46] for us to remember the joy of our salvation. [2:50] It’s a time for you and I to remember the day [2:52] that Christ took on flesh and blood [2:55] so that he could save you and me from our sin,

[2:59] that it truly is a season of faith. [3:02] And so this morning, I want us to look at one person [3:05] who I believe can get quickly overlooked [3:07] in the Christmas story, but plays a vital role [3:10] in this story, that he gives us an example [3:14] of someone who displays ultimate faith in God,

[3:17] despite the circumstances that surrounded his life [3:20] at the time. [3:22] And so through the life of Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, [3:24] I hope that we can receive reminders [3:27] of not only what faith requires of us, [3:31] but ultimately what the result of faith

[3:33] in our lives should be. [3:36] And so with that, point number one this morning, [3:38] Christmas reminds us that faith takes risk. [3:42] Christmas reminds us that faith takes risk. [3:46] Starting in Matthew one, verse 18 says this. [3:51] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.

[3:54] When his mother, Mary, had been betrothed to Joseph, [3:57] before they came together, she was found to be with child [4:01] from the Holy Spirit. [4:02] And her husband, Joseph, being a just man [4:05] and unwilling to put her to shame, [4:08] resolved to divorce her quietly.

[4:10] But as he considered these things, behold, [4:13] an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, [4:17] saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear [4:20] to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived [4:23] in her is from the Holy Spirit.

[4:29] You see, faith will always call us to risk [4:31] in one way or another. [4:33] That no matter where you look in scripture, [4:35] when God calls his people to follow him, [4:38] that always comes with a risk of something else. [4:43] And if God is God and he’s designed us to live for him,

[4:46] then the real risk there would be to ignore [4:48] what God has said when it comes our way. [4:51] And the life of Joseph puts this into perspective completely. [4:56] So Matthew one briefly records for us the moment [4:58] that Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant. [5:01] And Joseph and Mary were betrothed.

[5:04] And now that’s not really a term that we use these days [5:08] that the closest term that we would have is engagement. [5:12] But at the time of Jesus, this was a matter [5:14] that was even greater of even greater weight than engagement. [5:19] That they were not yet married, [5:21] but the betrothal period was that time like engagement

[5:25] between the decision to get married [5:27] and the actual marriage union. [5:29] But the difference is when you look at the text, [5:31] you can see that it was a binding thing. [5:34] To end a betrothal required the same process as a divorce. [5:39] And so this was a huge deal.

[5:42] And so after Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, [5:45] he had a big decision to make. [5:48] So naturally he assumes that she’s been unfaithful to him. [5:51] And so he was going to legally divorce her. [5:54] But the struggle here is that Joseph was a good man. [5:57] He was a just man that desired to both follow the law

[6:01] and preserve Mary’s dignity at the same time. [6:05] And what we know at this time, [6:07] adultery was a punishable crime. [6:09] Under the Mosaic law, she actually could have been executed. [6:13] And so Joseph, knowing this and still loving Mary, [6:18] made the decision to do this as quietly as possible

[6:21] so that she would avoid embarrassment [6:23] and that they could both move on with their lives. [6:27] So Joseph has this plan in place [6:29] that I think he’s truly thought it through well. [6:33] And he was ready to execute. [6:36] And then one night he goes to sleep.

[6:38] And suddenly an angel appears and in one moment [6:41] that lays complete waste to Joseph’s plans. [6:45] You see, Joseph had one plan for his life, [6:47] but God enters into the equation. [6:49] And he says, Joseph, I have a completely different path plan [6:53] for you, Mary, and this soon to be child.

[6:59] Friends, have you ever known what you were going to do? [7:01] Like even in the face of a really tough situation, [7:04] you still had a plan and you were ready to execute that plan. [7:10] But then it seems God brings you on a different path. [7:13] You see, in this moment, God is looking at Joseph [7:15] and he’s telling him,

[7:17] you’re gonna have to walk in faith on this one. [7:20] You see, faith is exactly what this path [7:22] God was calling Joseph to walk in would require. [7:25] That Joseph knew what he wanted to do, [7:28] that he was resolved, the text says, [7:31] that he had made up his mind.

[7:33] And what God has to do through this angel [7:36] is something quite drastic in the life of Joseph. [7:39] He has to take the image Joseph has of the rest of his life [7:43] and completely rearrange it. [7:47] He has to change his mind on the entire situation. [7:50] Think about it this way.

[7:52] He told Joseph to walk down a path [7:54] that literally no one was going to understand.

[7:58] That people are going to question his righteousness. [8:02] How could you ever do this? [8:03] Why aren’t you following the law? [8:06] People are gonna question his judgment. [8:08] Why would you choose somebody like Mary [8:10] that would do something like this?

[8:12] People are gonna question his decision-making. [8:16] It was though God’s path for the future [8:19] that he wanted him to risk his entire life on. [8:23] And I think this is a place in the passage [8:25] where we find a truth about faith for you and for me. [8:29] That there are many people who claim faith in this world.

[8:34] But every time an opportunity comes up to live by faith, [8:37] what happens? [8:39] I believe for a large majority of people, [8:41] they just simply turn the other way [8:43] or pretend like it doesn’t exist. [8:46] But you see, you cannot grow in faith

[8:48] without taking the opportunity, [8:50] without taking that risk. [8:51] And what I want to say is that what the Bible calls us to [8:53] and what God is calling Joseph to in this passage [8:56] is that he has to step out on faith [8:59] without seeing how this whole thing would end.

[9:03] You see, living by faith requires us to step out on faith [9:06] over and over and over again [9:12] because God will never stop calling his people [9:14] to have more faith in him. [9:17] But see, I know for some of you in the room this morning, [9:20] you’ve planned out your life.

[9:22] You have every single detail lined up [9:24] the exact way that you want it to go. [9:27] And you’ve set your path [9:29] and you refuse to deviate from that plan. [9:33] And that’s regardless of if your kids have a different desire, [9:36] if your spouse has a different desire,

[9:39] if your pastors tell you of a different path [9:42] or even if God himself calls you to move in faith. [9:46] But see, when we do that, [9:49] we miss the opportunities that God has for us.

[9:54] You see, God found Joseph at a time [9:57] when all of his plans were falling apart. [10:00] And God said that that was the perfect time [10:02] for him to walk in faith in who he was. [10:07] See, throughout the New Testament, [10:08] we have this verse in Habakkuk 2.4 quoted.

[10:11] And this verse is all about living by faith. [10:13] And it says, behold, his soul is puffed up. [10:18] It is not upright within him, [10:21] but the righteous shall live by his faith. [10:26] See, what Habakkuk tells us is that the righteous ones [10:29] are those who live by their faith.

[10:32] And the context of this passage [10:33] and the passage with Joseph is a dark time. [10:37] It’s a time when Joseph’s plans were insufficient. [10:40] It’s a time when all Joseph has to go on [10:43] from this point forward is the promise [10:45] that God has given him.

[10:47] He doesn’t see how it’s going to end. [10:49] He doesn’t see how it’s gonna affect his family.

[10:53] And so it can be the same for us. [10:56] That maybe it’s for you in the room this morning [10:59] with where you’re at in your faith. [11:02] That all you can see clearly is that God has promised you [11:05] through Jesus to never leave you or forsake you, [11:07] but it really feels like he’s leaving you

[11:09] or it really feels like he’s forsaking you right now. [11:13] See, there are times when God will call you out like Joseph [11:16] and he’s gonna say, risk every plan that you have [11:19] and take that step of faith.

[11:23] And Joseph’s not the only example we have of this [11:25] in scripture. [11:26] Actually, when I was thinking about the sermon this week, [11:29] I couldn’t help but think about the disciples [11:32] and how Jesus called the disciples to himself [11:34] and to follow him.

[11:36] This is what Matthew 4.18 tells us. [11:39] It says, while walking by the Sea of Galilee, [11:42] Jesus saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, [11:46] and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, [11:49] for they were fishermen. [11:51] And he said to them, follow me,

[11:53] and I will make you fishers of men. [11:56] Immediately, they left their nets and followed him. [12:01] See friends, what we see in this text [12:03] is that Peter and Andrew had a plan. [12:05] They had a career. [12:07] They knew what they were doing

[12:08] and they were really great at their career. [12:10] They knew how to make money doing this [12:13] and they were wise in the way they did it. [12:17] But one day, they are just at work like every other day, [12:20] like us, every single day you go to work. [12:23] They were just at work and this man, Jesus,

[12:26] comes to their workplace and he says two words [12:29] that radically alter the course of their lives. [12:31] He looks at them and he says, follow me. [12:36] But what that requires of them at that point [12:38] is they have to make a choice of faith. [12:41] Do they follow Jesus into the unknown

[12:44] or do they stick with the known? [12:47] Do they stick with the normal? [12:50] And in that moment, Jesus is telling them, [12:52] you have to abandon everything you know [12:54] and everything you’ve planned and come and follow me.

[13:00] And do you notice what they do in that moment? [13:03] They drop the nets. [13:05] They leave their old life behind [13:07] and go into the unknown with the comfort [13:09] of knowing Jesus is by their side. [13:12] But make no mistake, to the disciples,

[13:14] faith felt and was risky. [13:17] To Joseph, faith felt and was risky. [13:23] So friend, I ask you, why do you think faith in your life [13:26] is going to be any different than it was for them?

[13:30] But the issue is we think that the risk is in the faith [13:33] when in reality the risk is in not following Jesus at all. [13:37] It’s in not altering your plans to walk by faith. [13:41] So what we see from the life of Joseph first [13:43] is that his faith was a faith that took risk. [13:48] But it doesn’t just stop with risk because along with faith

[13:52] there is always a responsibility, [13:54] which leads me to point number two this morning. [13:57] Christmas reminds us that faith is a responsibility. [14:01] Christmas reminds us that faith is a responsibility.

[14:06] Picking back up in Matthew one, verse 20, [14:08] it says, but as he considered these things, [14:10] behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, [14:14] saying, Joseph, son of David, [14:16] do not fear to take Mary as your wife, [14:19] for that which is conceived in her

[14:21] is from the Holy Spirit. [14:23] She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, [14:26] for he will save his people from their sins. [14:29] All of this took place to fulfill [14:31] what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. [14:33] Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son

[14:37] and they shall call his name Emmanuel, [14:40] which means God with us.

[14:44] You see, the life of faith is a life of responsibility [14:47] and God holds each one of us responsible for our lives. [14:52] And that’s an undeniable fact based on life and scripture [14:56] that you and I are responsible for the decisions [14:59] that we make on a daily basis. [15:03] And when we make the choice to follow Jesus,

[15:05] it doesn’t take away that responsibility. [15:07] In fact, faith gives us an even greater responsibility. [15:12] I want you to notice the responsibility [15:14] that God gave to Joseph in this passage. [15:17] Did you notice that God did not tell Mary [15:19] what to name Jesus?

[15:21] Who does he tell to name Jesus? [15:23] Who does he give that responsibility to? [15:26] He gives it to his father, to Joseph. [15:29] See, God, in this moment, when he tells him to name him, [15:32] God is calling Joseph into fatherhood. [15:37] He’s giving him an amazing responsibility.

[15:40] And see, I can only imagine what this felt like for Joseph. [15:44] You see, when my wife was pregnant with our firstborn, [15:47] I was excited and terrified at the same time. [15:50] I was excited because I always wanted to have kids, [15:53] but I was terrified because I had no idea [15:55] what to do with a baby, because up until that point,

[15:58] I think I had held one child in my entire life. [16:01] And I’ll never forget, in the hospital, [16:03] as soon as she was born, the doctor turns to me [16:05] and hands her to me, and I’m like, [16:06] I don’t know if this is a good idea. [16:09] And I’m so afraid I’m gonna break her,

[16:11] and I’m just looking at her, and I’m like, [16:12] she’s so beautiful, but I’m so terrified [16:14] that I’m gonna do something to hurt her. [16:16] And then they’re like, by the way, [16:17] you’re gonna go home by yourself, and I’m like, say what?

[16:21] That doesn’t seem like a good idea.

[16:25] And I got home, and I think about the responsibility [16:27] of raising her, and you begin to feel [16:29] that pressure as a parent. [16:32] Now, put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. [16:35] You found a woman to marry, [16:37] and you’re looking forward to your wedding day,

[16:39] when all of a sudden, your soon-to-be wife becomes pregnant. [16:43] And you know how biology works. [16:46] So you say this marriage is over. [16:48] Then an angel comes up to you, [16:49] and the angel appears to you and tells you [16:50] that the baby she is carrying is not illegitimate,

[16:54] that this baby is the Messiah of the Old Testament. [16:59] And it’s essentially as if the angel looks at Joseph, [17:02] and says, well, Joseph, you’re gonna be Jesus’ dad. [17:06] Congrats, good luck. [17:08] What? [17:09] Could you imagine God calling you

[17:12] and asking you be the father of his son, the Messiah? [17:17] That you have to raise this Godchild, [17:20] that you have to teach this Godchild, [17:23] that you have to watch over this Godchild. [17:27] I think it adds a whole nother level [17:29] when you think about the one time in Jesus’ childhood

[17:32] that Joseph and Mary lose him. [17:35] How terrifying would it be to lose your child, [17:37] much less for you to be like, I lost God.

[17:43] You see, Joseph is called to a challenging, [17:47] but glorious life. [17:49] And what scripture shows us is that Jesus the child [17:53] was someone that needed to grow, [17:55] that he needed to mature, that he needed to be led. [18:00] And Luke 2.52 gives us a view into the growth of Jesus.

[18:04] It says in Jesus, increase in wisdom and in stature [18:08] and in favor with God and man. [18:11] So what we see is in his humanity, [18:14] Jesus had to grow physically and mentally [18:17] in favor with God and with man. [18:20] And that means Jesus had things he needed to learn.

[18:24] And what God is doing when he tells Joseph [18:27] of this baby that is to be born, [18:29] he’s given him that responsibility to teach Jesus.

[18:35] He’s given him the responsibility to lead Jesus.

[18:40] And I think one thing that’s so easy to ignore [18:42] in scripture is the imprint that Joseph left on Jesus. [18:47] You see, Joseph had died when Jesus started [18:49] his public ministry. [18:50] And when we see Jesus the man, [18:53] we see the legacy of Joseph his father.

[18:58] We see a man who was raised to love and fear [19:02] and serve the Lord. [19:03] And we know this because of his half brother, James, [19:08] that he was the pastor of the church at Jerusalem, [19:10] that he was also raised by Joseph. [19:13] And so if you’re a father in the room this morning,

[19:15] please hear me on this. [19:17] You are going to leave an imprint on your children. [19:20] You are going to, there’s no way not to. [19:24] The question is not, will you leave an imprint? [19:26] It’s what imprint is going to be made on them? [19:30] And I pray that we all fight

[19:32] for the imprint to be one of faith.

[19:36] But God tasked Joseph with being the father of his son. [19:39] And he correlates fatherhood with that responsibility. [19:43] And so if you did that with Joseph, [19:44] that means as fathers, we have that exact same responsibility [19:49] and we do not get the choice of abdicating [19:52] that responsibility to anyone else in our lives.

[19:56] You see, fatherhood is something [19:57] that defines everyone’s life. [19:59] As the most influential person and leader [20:02] in everyone’s life is their father. [20:05] And I know for some of you in the room today, [20:07] your father left a very positive imprint on your life.

[20:10] And you should praise God for that. [20:12] Praise God for faithful fathers. [20:15] But for those that did not know your father [20:16] or maybe you had a lousy one, [20:19] I want you to please hear me on this. [20:22] God the father desires to fill that void in your life

[20:26] by showing you his love through Jesus. [20:30] But for all of us that are fathers, [20:32] God calls us to follow his example. [20:35] And to be a loving father as he is a loving father. [20:38] And as he’s calling Joseph to fatherhood, [20:41] he calls us to be good fathers as well.

[20:48] See, God called Joseph to walk by faith [20:50] into marriage with Mary and fatherhood over Jesus. [20:53] And this is an example to all fathers [20:55] of what it means to be a father that leads with courage.

[21:01] And if you had a dad that led with courage, you know. [21:05] I can tell you that I’ve told my dad this before, [21:07] but there’s one defining moment [21:09] of my father’s life in my eyes. [21:12] There’s one moment that will always be there [21:14] no matter how old I get.

[21:15] And that’s the way I will always see him. [21:19] See, there was a time in my teenage years [21:21] when my mom got really sick [21:22] that she was in and out of the hospital [21:24] with seizures for months at a time at times. [21:28] And on top of that, around the same time,

[21:31] the economy collapsed and my dad completely lost his business.

[21:37] And I knew things weren’t good, [21:40] but I never saw my dad flinch. [21:42] And I’ll never forget, [21:44] I was sitting with him at our kitchen table [21:46] and every morning my dad had his ritual, [21:49] which was he would read his Bible

[21:51] at like 5 a.m. before anybody else got up. [21:54] And he would drink like eight cups of coffee. [21:57] That was his thing. [21:59] But I remember I was sitting there with him [22:01] and I remember this happened morning after morning [22:03] through that whole entire years long period.

[22:06] I’ll never forget my dad looking at me and saying, [22:09] Jake, God has not abandoned us. [22:12] Jesus is still King and we’re gonna still follow him [22:15] and he’s gonna get us through this. [22:17] And you gotta trust that he will. [22:19] And then he led through that.

[22:21] And the great news was, by God’s grace, he did. [22:27] God did provide for our family. [22:29] But do you know that to this day as a 35 year old, [22:32] I still think about that moment often. [22:35] And every time something goes wrong in my life, [22:38] I think about that moment.

[22:39] The example my dad said and said, [22:41] I’m gonna walk my faith too, [22:43] so that my son see that in me. [22:46] Father’s in the room, please listen. [22:48] We follow God into faith. [22:51] We dive into the depths of the unknown.

[22:53] We take the risk and we lead [22:56] because that is what fathers do for their families.

[23:02] But if you were not a father in the room this morning, [23:04] I do not want you to think [23:05] that this text does not apply to you. [23:08] Because if you have faith in Jesus, [23:09] there is still responsibility there. [23:12] God calls you to faith.

[23:15] And do not think for a moment [23:17] that you have a license in that faith [23:19] to keep living a selfish uninterrupted existence. [23:23] See, God calls you to step out of the life [23:25] that you are making and into the life [23:27] that he defines for you.

[23:31] But what this is going to require of you though [23:33] is what is required of Joseph. [23:35] That you have to take responsibility for your faith. [23:37] You have to take responsibility [23:39] for the life that God has handed to you. [23:42] Take ownership of it.

[23:45] Be a champion of it. [23:47] And you must make the choice to follow Jesus, [23:50] regardless of how good or bad [23:52] the situation around you seems to be. [23:55] You see, faith does seem and is a risk. [23:59] Faith is a responsibility.

[24:01] But I think if we focus on those two things [24:04] and we don’t see the end of how this passage goes, [24:07] then we miss the whole point [24:08] and the hope of this passage [24:10] and the hope of the Christmas season. [24:13] And so point number three this morning,

[24:15] Christmas reminds us that faith is rewarding. [24:20] Christmas reminds us that faith is rewarding. [24:25] Matthew 1.24, it says, [24:26] when Joseph woke up from sleep, [24:29] he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. [24:33] He took his wife, but knew her not,

[24:36] until she had given birth to a son. [24:38] And he called his name Jesus.

[24:42] Return on investments, how we define a profitable life. [24:46] That we often measure success [24:48] by looking at what something costs [24:50] versus what we’re going to get in return. [24:52] And I actually think this is not a bad way [24:54] for you to look at your life.

[24:56] I think if we looked at life that way, [24:57] we would avoid making a lot of really bad decisions.

[25:03] But the issue is that for many of us, [25:05] we get this measurement wrong when it comes to our faith. [25:09] You see, when we look at the returns on our life, [25:10] when we look at the return on investment, [25:11] we think that if we follow God, [25:13] that it’s not going to cost us too much,

[25:15] or worse, we think that he’s going to let us down, [25:18] or that he already has let us down, [25:20] because the things might not go the way we want to, [25:23] or they definitely didn’t go the way [25:25] that we had envisioned them going.

[25:29] But what we see here in Matthew, [25:31] was that we come to Christmas day, [25:33] we come to the day that Jesus was born. [25:37] So what happens to the promise that God gives to Joseph? [25:41] All of it comes true. [25:43] That Mary has a baby.

[25:45] The prophecies about this child are true. [25:48] Joseph names him Jesus, [25:50] and their lives would never be the same. [25:53] That it would be a hard road, but the reward was eternal.

[25:59] This is something I had never really thought about much [26:01] until this week. [26:03] But think about the return on investment [26:06] that Joseph made in his life, [26:07] because of one decision to live by faith. [26:09] What was Joseph’s return on investment?

[26:13] See, Joseph was the earthly father [26:15] of the eternal King of his ancestor, David.

[26:19] Each morning, he would eat breakfast [26:22] with the one who created him. [26:25] He would play games with the great I Am. [26:29] Can imagine hide and seek would be difficult with Jesus.

[26:34] He would raise a sinless teenager. [26:36] Can you imagine?

[26:40] But that teenager would go on to become a man [26:43] who had preached the gospel, [26:44] one of the greatest preachers to ever live, [26:47] encouraging people to repent and believe in him [26:49] as the son of God. [26:52] But then those same people who would shout,

[26:54] Hosanna at him would then murder him. [26:57] They would brutally beat him, hang him on a cross. [27:01] And three days later, he would rise again, [27:03] giving victory to all who believe in him [27:06] over sin and death forever.

[27:10] And I can only imagine, because if you remember [27:13] after Jesus rises from the dead, [27:15] there was 40 days he was on this earth, [27:17] and then he ascends in the heaven. [27:20] And I just think about the day [27:22] that they had their first reunion in heaven.

[27:27] And on that day, Joseph looked into the eyes of his son, [27:30] and I can only imagine as a dad how proud [27:32] he was in that moment, but understand friends [27:35] that he didn’t just look into the eyes of his son, [27:38] he looked into the eyes of his savior.

[27:43] And all of this came because he said, [27:47] I’m going to follow God in what he has told me to do. [27:53] And so I imagine if we could have a conversation [27:55] with Joseph today, and if someone asked him [27:58] if his life would have been better, [28:00] if Matthew 1 would have never happened,

[28:03] he would look at you and say you are crazy. [28:06] Because look at the result. [28:08] Look at all he got to experience with Jesus.

[28:13] And see friends, if you believe that, [28:15] if you look at that story and you say, [28:18] I think I would rather just have not followed [28:20] what the angel said, I would rather have [28:23] just taken the easy road. [28:25] Understand that in that moment,

[28:27] you are saying that you don’t have any faith. [28:30] That if you believe that, [28:32] you will never have a life that matters. [28:34] Because you will simply walk through life [28:36] according to your plan, and the only reward [28:38] that you are going to get in this world

[28:40] is the face that looks back at you [28:42] in the mirror every morning. [28:43] So please hear me on this. [28:45] A life that costs you nothing [28:48] is a life that has no return on investment. [28:51] It’s a life that won’t have anything

[28:53] that matters in the end.

[28:59] You see, none of us can escape this call.

[29:02] None of us can escape the call to faith. [29:04] Because in Acts 1-8, after the resurrection, [29:07] Jesus calls us into the life that Joseph was called into.

[29:12] Jesus says, but you will receive power [29:14] when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, [29:17] and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem [29:20] and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

[29:25] You see, once again, in that passage, [29:28] the disciples’ plan may have changed again. [29:32] They are now witnesses of the gospel [29:34] for the rest of their lives to the entire earth. [29:37] And you see, this is what God does with us [29:39] when we come to faith in Him too.

[29:41] He takes those plans that you had, [29:43] and He said it’s time to alter some things. [29:45] For some of you, maybe it’s time to alter a lot of things. [29:49] But through this passage, the resurrected Jesus [29:51] calls out to us, that He calls us, [29:54] He tells us, He empowers us through the Holy Spirit.

[29:58] But did you notice though what the result will be? [30:01] It says that you will be a witness for Christ, [30:04] that God uses us as His heralds of His kingdom [30:09] to the world around us, that we get to be representatives [30:14] of the kingdom of heaven on this earth. [30:17] And so friend, I ask you, what greater responsibility,

[30:21] what greater joy could we have in this life [30:23] than by the power of the Holy Spirit [30:26] to be able to go into this world and to declare the gospel [30:30] and see people go from being an enemy of God [30:33] to a son or daughter of the living God, [30:35] and see that happen over and over and over again.

[30:41] There is nothing greater.

[30:45] And that reward does not come though [30:49] without requirements for you and for me. [30:51] What are the requirements to receive that reward? [30:55] You must risk, you must take responsibility, [30:59] and you must believe the reward is worth the investment. [31:03] That we must give ourselves over

[31:06] to the life of risking it all on Jesus. [31:09] That He’s worth it. [31:11] He is the reward, and His reward is worth it. [31:13] His promises are true.

[31:16] And friend, my fear for so many of you [31:18] is that you will never get to that point in your faith, [31:21] and you will never see God move [31:22] because you were unwilling to take that step [31:25] into the unknown.

[31:28] This morning, I encourage you, this Christmas season, [31:33] follow the example of Jesus as the earthly father, [31:35] and take the risk. [31:37] Follow King Jesus, and understand the reward there [31:41] is greater than anything you could imagine. [31:44] Couple application points this morning.

[31:46] Number one, take one risk with your faith [31:49] this Christmas season. [31:51] Try to make it as simple as I can. [31:53] What is one thing that you can do [31:56] to advance your faith this Christmas season? [31:58] For some, that may be talking to a family member

[32:01] about the gospel that you’ve been putting off for years. [32:03] For others, it may be inviting that neighbor to church [32:05] that you’ve been wanting to invite. [32:07] For others, it may be starting family devotions. [32:10] For others, it may be that you start your Bible reading plan [32:12] before January 1st, that you start it now.

[32:15] Take a step of faith this Christmas. [32:18] That is what Christmas season is all about. [32:21] But second, engage the responsibility God has given you. [32:25] Understand that each one of us [32:26] has been given responsibility, [32:28] whether you’re a father, a mother, or a college student,

[32:31] every single person in this room [32:33] has been given responsibility in your life. [32:37] Third, invest your life in worthy pursuits.

[32:41] You see, there’s so many things you can invest your life in, [32:44] and if we will look at the return on our investment, [32:46] we will see that the gospel and advancing the gospel [32:50] is the only thing that is truly worth [32:52] the greatest investment in our life. [32:54] So pursue things that are worthy of your time.

[32:58] But lastly, remember the gospel always returns a reward.

[33:03] That’s so easy for us to forget in the in and out [33:05] of day to day of following Jesus. [33:08] The great reward of seeing people come to faith in Jesus. [33:12] There’ve been almost a dozen people [33:13] respond in baptism a couple of weeks ago, [33:15] and I don’t know about you all,

[33:16] but I wanna see that happen again and again and again [33:19] and again until Jesus calls me home. [33:23] The reward there is worth it. [33:25] Take the risk, follow Jesus in faith.

[33:30] But the…

[33:35] [33:35] The great reward is worth it. [33:36] The great reward is worth it. [33:36] [33:36] The great reward is worth it. [33:36] The great reward is worth it.

[33:37] The great reward is worth it. [33:39] The great reward is worth it. [33:39] The great reward is worth it. [33:40] The great reward is worth it. [33:40] The great reward is worth it. [33:40]

[33:40] [33:40] [33:41] The great reward is worth it. [33:41] [33:41] [33:41]

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[33:41] [33:41] [33:41] [33:41] [33:41]