Faith Brings Great Responsibility
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
[slow]
Last Sunday we started to look at this series called Faith Like Christmas. We started off by looking at this principle of faith that says “Faith Requires Risks.” As we looked at different people that demonstrated this principle, we also saw that the book of James tells us that the way we prove our inward faith is through outward works.
To be clear, faith is not works, and works, though evidence of faith, do not necessarily mean that faith is present. But true faith will drive us to action, and that is the definition of faith that we have been working with:
Biblical faith is a heartfelt belief that drives me to action.
At these actions will require us to take risks, sometimes large and sometimes small. As we looked at Joseph and Mary, we saw that they certainly took risks with their decisions to submit to God’s plan.
When Mary said to Gabriel, the angel that announced Jesus’ birth, “Be it unto me according to they word,” she was not just agreeing to a miracle. She was risking shame in her own hometown. She was risking Joseph’s confusion and even being abandoned by him. She was risking entering into a life in which people would whisper about her for the rest of her life, “Yeah, she says that the pregnancy was from God, but she and Joseph were probably fooling around before the wedding. Shame on her. Points for originality, though!” Can you imagine being talked about like that? Joseph risked the similar things.
When Mary and Joseph submitted to God’s will, they traded a quiet, peaceful, predictable life for the life of raising the Messiah. Mary’s soul would one day be pierced by a sword as she watched her firstborn suffer and die unjustly.
We studied last week that faith comes at a cost. We say we want God’s mission, we want purpose, we want to be obedient; but we do not want the disruption, the inconvenience, or the sacrifice that comes with it.
But Mark 8:34 still says
34 Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
If we want the blessings of following Jesus, we have to have the cross as well.
This evening, as we continue on to our next portion of the Faith Like Christmas series, we will see that
Faith Brings Great Responsibility
Faith Brings Great Responsibility
Responsibility: the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something; the state or fact of being accountable for something
When you think of Christmas greeting cards that depict the Biblical narrative of Christmas (so not Santa Clause, or simply snowy landscapes), what images come to mind? nativity scenes, shepherds being told about the birth by angels, wise men on their way to see Jesus, etc.
But you know what we do not often think about when we picture the nativity? The changing of the diapers. The colic that kept baby Jesus up at night, and therefore Mary and Joseph too. We don’t think about Mary constantly having to tell Jesus to not put that thing in his mouth. Joseph did not just get a wife and a miracle baby.
Joseph got the weight of responsibility of not just raising a son, but raising the Son of God. Let’s go back and read about Joseph’s encounter with the angel. Matthew 1:20-24
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
Joseph and Mary got the responsibility of making sure that Jesus was fed correctly, provided for well, and that he was loved. Joseph was responsible for shaping the human childhood of the Savior of the world.
The bedtime stories, the walks across town, the time spent together in the carpentry workshop. Mary’s songs as she rocked her baby to sleep, the affection shown when Jesus would fall and scrape his knee. Joseph teaching Jesus what it was to be a man. Mary packing Jesus his lunches as he went to school. All these things little moments and opportunities were what faith gave to Joseph and Mary. It gave them responsibility.
Faith did not give Joseph and Mary and easier life, it gave them greater responsibility.
I don’t think I will ever comprehend how it happened, but Jesus stepped into this earth as a baby human. Fully God and fully man - a phrase we often hear, but still baffles me. Do we understand what this means? Jesus chose to be born as a baby. This means that he chose to do a bunch of things and go through a bunch of things that are mind blowing.
He had to depend on others to change his dirty diapers.
He had to be potty trained.
He had to learn how to walk.
He had to learn how to speak.
Jesus learned how to read.
He struggled with memorizing the Shema prayer, like the other boys his age, even though He was the one that gave it to the people of Israel.
Jesus got hurt.
He had to learn how to handle a saw, a hammer and nails, and various other carpentry tools (which is crazy to think, because the same trees he was using to make furniture, he had caused them to grow. I sometimes wonder if Jesus, who keeps track of every creature of His creation, ever pointed out the certain trees to angels: “See that little acorn that is germinating there? In about thirty years, I’m going to help cut that tree down with Joseph. This will be the very first time I use a saw. Joseph is going to show me, and there is going to be a knot that gives me trouble as we make planks from this tree.”
Jesus had to learn scripture. Again, I don’t understand how this would even work.
But here is the thing, Jesus chose to limit himself to be a human. He willingly took upon himself the need to grow and to learn.
All these things were things that Joseph and Mary were responsible for teaching and guiding Jesus through.
Joseph had to make sure that Jesus was raised according to the Law. He was a male, so Jesus had to be circumcised 8 days after his birth. He was the firstborn male, so Joseph and Mary had to make sure that Jesus was presented in the temple with sacrifices and offerings that would consecrate him to the Lord.
When Jesus was just around the age of two or so, Joseph was responsible for taking Jesus and Mary and fleeing to Egypt when Herod, in a fit of jealous rage, ordered the mass killing of all Jewish male babies from 2 years old and under.
Joseph had the responsibility to not stay in Egypt, but to bring Jesus back to Israel where they settled in Nazareth.
Look what Luke 2:52 says.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
And guess who had the responsibility of making sure that Jesus did grow in wisdom and stature and in the favor, or the grace of God and man? Joseph and Mary.
That verse says “Jesus increased” in these different areas. The word increase there means to make longer by hammering. How many of y’all have ever seen the reality show called Forged in Fire? This is a show about blacksmiths that compete against each other to forge knives, swords, and various other bladed weapons from steel. To forge a chunk of steel, it first must be heated to a glowing read heat and then pounded on to draw that steel out from a rectangular bar and into the shape of a sword.
It requires skill and dedication and time to do such a thing. It doesn’t just happen. And Jesus growing in those areas did not just happen.
Jesus increased, grew larger by hammering, which means that Mary and Joseph took the time to teach him. How did he grow?
In Wisdom
Joseph was not a scripture scholar, but I believe Joseph knew the Scriptures. His job was not that of a Scribe or a Pharisee. No, Joseph was a carpenter. But Joseph knew the Scriptures and shared these wisdom of God to Jesus in a way that had been prescribed by God for the Israelites to pass on His wisdom from generation to generation. Deuteronomy 6:4-7
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Joseph taught Jesus the Law, at least what he had commited to memory. Joseph probably did not have a personal copy of the law and prophets, those things were very expensive, and we know based on Joseph’s offering when Jesus was presented that they offered the offering of the poor. But I wonder sometimes, when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, as Satan took Jesus to the highest point of the Temple and said, “Hey Jesus, jump off, because if you do, the angels will rescue you before you ever touch the ground and the whole world will see this scripture fulfilled in you and believe you.” Do you remember Jesus’ response? He said, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Do you know where that is a quote from? Deuteronomy 6:16 “16 Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God…” And I wonder if in that moment, Jesus was remembering when Joseph was teaching Him that verse.
So Jesus was taught the wisdom of the scriptures, but also the wisdom of life. If Jesus would have been born in modern times, Joseph and Mary would have had to tell Jesus to not put things in the outlets, to look both ways before crossing the street, to not get into vans that say, “Free Candy” on the side.
In Stature
Jesus also grew physically. And this meant that Mary and Joseph took the responsibility of feeding Jesus and making sure he got enough rest. As Jesus grew, it was Mary’s and Joseph’s responsibility to clothe him and provide for his shelter. Can you imagine, the same Jesus that created the heaven and the earth, the same Jesus that now prepares places in heaven with Him for His saints, needed Mary and Joseph to provide a roof over his head?
Mary and Joseph had to take care of Jesus when he got sick, when he had a cold or the flu. When Jesus got food poisoning, they had to nurse him back to health. This is a huge responsibility.
In Favor with God and Man
But Jesus also grew in favor, or grace, with God and man. Jesus was taught manners. I don’t know all the nuances of common courtesy of those days in those places, but can you imagine Jesus sitting at a table being told, “Hey, put get your elbows off the table. Jesus, we do not play with our food. Jesus, make sure you say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.”
These are the things that we do not think about of the early years of Jesus.
Application
Application
So what does that mean to us?
Faith brings great responsibility to us as well.
From the moment of salvation, we aren’t just saved to sit on the sidelines of life. We are saved to follow Jesus, to be His disciples.
When we take those steps of faith to follow Jesus, we are handed some responsibilities. We are given people to love. We are given a workplace where we are to be salt and light. We are given families to bless and influence - kids to raise, spouses to walk with. We are handed neighbors to witness to, a city to carry His name into - our own little corner of the world, our Jerusalem.
Faith does not remove responsibility. It upgrades it. Remember, faith moves us to action. When we decide to take a step of faith and be involved in a ministry, it increases our responsibility.
When we take a step of faith and begin a Bible study, it lays on us a responsibility.
Many of you decided, in faith, to give a certain amount regularly to the church for a year. This commitment laid on you a responsibility.
Faith brings with it responsibility. It makes us accountable to God for things. It is not enough to commit to something in faith, like a ministry, outreach, giving, or any other type of obedience, and say, “Ok, God, I have commited to this thing. You have told me to have faith in you in this area, now, you do all the work.”
That is not how it works.
The disciples were told to preach the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth, they obeyed.
Matthew went to Ethiopia and Persia
Peter went to Antioch
Andrew to Greece
John went to Ephesus
Philip went to Turkey
Bartholomew went to India and Armenia
Thomas went to India
Thaddaeus went to Syria and Persia
Simon the Zealot went to Persia
Matthias (Replacing Judas Iscariot) went to Cappadocia and the Caspian Sea region.
All these obeyed, and then became responsible for the preaching of the gospel in the regions that God sent them.
We see the example of responsibility in others we talked about Sunday.
Abraham left Ur in faith, was responsible for following God to the promised land.
Abraham believed God’s promise to make a nation out of him, failed to be responsible in waiting for God’s timing, but was responsible enough to raise Isaac in the fear of the Lord and even was willing to sacrifice Isaac in faith, believing that God would resurrect Isaac.
Conclusion
Conclusion
What responsibility has God laid on you that He is entrusting you to steward with excellence?
Following Jesus is not just about you, it is about everyone that God brings into your different circles.
Tonight, before we go, on a sheet of paper, begin to write the different areas of responsibilities that God has placed you in. Then, pray and thank God for giving you those.
Pray and ask God for the strength and guidance to point those in your circles of responsibility straight to Him.
