The Cost of Christmas - Joseph

We're here to talk about Christmas and we're here to talk about the backstory of Christmas. We're going to talk today a little bit about Joseph. and the little family he put together a little little

beautiful picture that we have of the little manger has a has a difficult story that that starts it off until we want to talk about that and for you to Christmas may be full of lovely Delights. It might be just warm memories of reading books at night as this may be your your picture of how awesome it went. Of course, if they have this moment definitely post it on Instagram. If for any reason this you stumble upon this and you actually have this definitely put that out there in that what it's like these days. It's like this one Serene moment. We captured it be captured a just-right. Probably the most most Instagram must have picked and family would be this one though, right Joseph Mary baby Jesus in a lot of the cows come and go. I think I'm in the family photo, but that probably the most common in the most common one of the first Christmas, you know, perfect family is Isn't that pretty amazing? We want it we look at it. And we think well, that was amazing. That was awesome. That was Serene. That was beautiful. That was peaceful. That was quiet. That was that Silent Night that brought us the merry and Bright Days of Christmas isn't isn't that awesome.

If this was a true family photo, it would probably be pretty hard to pull that off. I hear Sears Francis my family photo. This is my my loves little family where it's not always easy. Although it's getting better now to get a family photo don't know if some of you in the past. I've had that moment where it's smile you're going to get a spanking if any of you ever had that moment where it's like you smile or I will beat a smile into you or something something similar to that that's kind of the way it seems to go sometimes if I don't get the smile you my my siblings complain that my mom wants to have a photo like that's all she wants to give her the photo just smile. This is great. She's pretty kind and passive aggressive about it. So it's not that not that big a deal but these days it's it's all about looking good and looking perfect and getting it just right by the selfie culture is kind of ridiculous. I don't know if you Suspense really fun to watch people take selfies, especially cute girls cuz that's what they do.

You're so fake, but it's so fun to watch so do that just study the Selfies that you see study it up and you'll see it is his all of it. It's all a bit put on all of it put on but it's little family this little beautiful Serene quiet family Reven the cows were being quiet at night. And of course baby. Jesus didn't didn't wake up and didn't scream. You know, this is probably not realistic. And if you think back to the story, there was some really difficult moments besides that they were a poor family and besides this is just born and difficulty and there was no room in the end even I don't even go back just a little bit. Oh and today I just have three things I want to do. I want to introduce Joseph to you. He's a rather silent figure. I don't know if you counted the words in in that reading of all the words that Joseph said but it's kind of comes up pretty short total workout. I want you to consider his cost what he had to go through. He is described as a pretty good moral example. Most most Bible characters are depicted and then you're supposed to come up with was that a good example or not? It doesn't always tell you that the sum of the Bible Heroes. I grew up with are rather suspicious the name name some Bible Heroes for that you grew up with any of his maybe the group in church you had a oh, yeah, we learned about this guy and in Sunday school, this Samson Samson was a great guy. He was super strong because he he had long hair. We think that was it and it so that makes sense sort of and then but he really like prostitutes and then I was just murdered a lot of people in and my hero Let's just stop with that because that's a really wonderful example, but the Bible Bible writers are trying to have you like look at the exam examine the life and you tell me whether that's an example. You should follow right? They don't always come in and just say and Samson was not all that great that they just told you. He was not all that great, right? So that's what's going on Joseph. However get it's not a bad word said about it. It's so consider this example and it's it's something to to ponder and then I want to convince you the guy can use the mess you're in because he intentionally put these people in a mess really ruined a whole lot of their trajectory in life and didn't seem to be very worried about it. So yeah, that's the way I'm going to do it till it was let's jump into it, We just read this. Thank you very much John. This is how the birth of the Messiah took place. Not the Messiah common word it during Christmas Carol Handel's Messiah etcetera, but this is a I mean, I mean someone who's been set apart anointed and for a real specific purpose, but if you're a Jewish Messiah, which is where the word comes from, there's a lot riding on that expectation. You're going to come and deliver. You're going to come and establish a kingdom. You're going to come and destroy the enemies and bring about a new world order under under God the king. So this birth of Jesus the Messiah is no small phrase is Mother. Mary was engaged to Joseph. We just need to stop there because engagement then is is a lot deeper than engagement now betrothal could happen at a very young age. She talked about arranged marriages. So if you're maybe eight or nine in this room today or older you can be set up and make a of an actual Arrangement. You're going to grow up in this family. But when you turn this age, you're going to be married to the guy or girl from this family and that's already arranged and you don't just get to jump out of that if you don't want if you don't want that relationship that is a that is a commitment. They're probably been funds exchanged. But but but it's certainly a very legal binding betrothal and engagement. So she's engaged engaged to Joseph probably because he was a great guy tradition says maybe he was even a bit older of a man because she was probably very young girl, but probably he was he was a well-respected person in the community and and this was going to be his his wife different now obviously, but I want to just kind of sit in the context for a minute. Before they came together and became married where she would then leave her family and join in to be part of his family. They she turned out to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. So whoops what just happened there Joseph. I have something to tell you. I know we've been planning this marriage for a really long time. And I know that I'm really excited about my life with you. But there's this thing that happened. And if just try to explain that. So who's the other guy? What's going on? There's no. No, that's not. No. That's not the situation. It's something that God has done. He is given he's he's he's caused me to be pregnant and I am bearing a child. And that's really all I have to say about that Joseph. Her husband-to-be was an upright man. He didn't want to make a public example of her or why would anybody want to do that? Well, that would be the normal way to do things Joseph marrying this girl who apparently has not been faithful to him. And I know it's the Christmas story and I don't want to ruin it for you and I got to make this age appropriate but there's only a few options here either Joseph went out of the cultural norms of the boundaries of being a moral upright man, and he is already had sexual relations with with her. Or she has jumped out of her relationship and understanding of status and has gone out and had a relationship with somebody else outside of that or common a Roman soldier decided that he would take her and and now she's found herself to be pregnant are very many options. But which of those sound great for the lovely couple is there as their headed toward their first Christmas together? Take the photo of our first because it's it's very very difficult and very painful for for all of them. So the public example, he would have made of her would be to distance himself separate himself terminate this and say to the to the religious figures in town. And this is a small town say to everybody around. It's on her. I have no idea what's going on. This is this is on her but that would be a normal sort of mode that he would he would react because he was an upright man. He didn't want to make it a public thing. So he was going to just let's go to the let's go to court. Basically, let's go to the religious officials and let's just say this. We're going to terminate this. I'm going to give her a Fishel papers. So she doesn't she's going to be scandalized for the rest of her life, but she least have documents that she could get into another relationship and but for now, she'll go back with her family and she'll just be there until some other man. And besides well, I guess I'll take Mary if that's all that's the option in my town. But that's that's what she had available to her. So he's sitting in this he decided to set the marriage aside privately. But while he was considering this an angel of the Lord appeared to him suddenly in a dream, I think any time an angel appears in a dream. It's going to appear suddenly. What's the build-up for that? Here comes Joseph son of David. No, David, if you're not familiar, and I'm not expecting you to be was the key figure in the world of of Judaism the key figure they look back to his reign as the king when the when the enemies were defeated. When this the nation was established when everything was right, when the Kingdom of Israel was with solid and a promise has been made to David that there will always be someone on your throne. And then there wasn't and then they've been exiled and then they've been sent packing to the Nations. And so there's this expectation that a son of David would come and take the throne which is back to our Messiah figure. That's what he says Joseph son of David. He's not saying it wasn't your dad's name David. I think I got that right? No, he's going way back to an ancestor. son of David don't be afraid to get married to Mary the child. She is carrying is from the Holy Spirit. She's going to have a son your to give him the name Jesus. He's the one who will save his people from their sins. That is this I'd known this is extra so much for the gender reveal party, you know this right at the very beginning of the very very beginning. Oh, you're not just going to have a baby. You're going to have a son and his name will be called Jesus. The name Jesus is a Greek form y this in English form of Yaesu switches. Are you see which is Greek, but in the Hebrew language are in Aramaic that they would be speaking. It means God is our savior. And so that's going to be his name. He's he's going to be the one who will save his people from their sins and it's happened so that the profit could be fulfilled up. The Virgin is pregnant. She'll have a son they should give him the name Emmanuel which means in Translation god with us not to be overlooked. This is this is so full. Of course, I want to get to Joseph but but this is so important that God wants to be close.

Whatever your perspective on where God is it needs to be brought a Little Closer. In memes and in cartoons and in some of our imaginations God is a way far off. Beyond anything we could let you know we could never travel that far, but that's not the point of saying God is in heaven. Africa ancient the person would think that the heavens are all around us. It's the sky. It's those layers of heavens of course, but it's all right there and I learned this just a few months ago and it's been part of me on my regular prayer because I used to say in in the Lord's Prayer in our father in Heaven. But now I'm realizing what that means is that he's always near he's he's because he's in this other realm around us. He's always ever-present. He's not just somewhere away far away that someday I'll go and visit someday when I when I Fly Away Oh Glory or something like that. That is his presence is meant to be here Emmanuel God With Us he intends to be right here Among Us and and especially in this situation in our mess. Antenna in a difficult message, Joseph says they didn't say anything. But what way does Joseph woke up from his sleep and he just did what the Lord's Angel told him to do good man. He married his wife. Allowed her to maintain her Purity while she gave birth going to give birth to a son and then he gave his name Jesus. So he just did everything that the angel told him to do. He woke up and obeyed. There's another there's another passage where all these stories get unpacked and it's in Luke pretty, and we'll go there next week, but there's another figure in there called Zachariah Zachariah was was a had an angel appeared to him and said, how is this going to be? I don't get it. How's this going to how's this going to happen? Cuz he was going to give his wife was going to give birth to a son who is going to begin the process for Jesus to come use. Give me the forerunners name is John the Baptist and In this passage. Zechariah says to the angel. How should I know this? Rhyme an old man and my wife is advanced in years and the angel answered him. I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God hears the contrast Zacharias as a man. How can this happen and Gabriel's like, I'm Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. Why are we having this conversation? Why are you questioning? Think about that? I think about all your Zechariah type comments. That's impossible God. Why would you or would you have me do that? That doesn't make any sense to me? Why why would I want to why should I I have excuses. I'm a mess. I have difficulty all that kind of stuff and the angels just like I am Gabriel. Hello old man. Hello reticent person. Hello cowardly one. Hello faithless one. I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. The messenger comes from the very presence of God.

And your response is I don't know how could this happen? I just shows a little bit of our difficulty with obedience generally speaking and understanding what are the stakes of my life. So this may be all you need it today if that's it you can leave now, but I stand and if I am Gabriel and you like I'm an old man. I have I have problems. I'm fearful. I'm timid and Slick, I'm Gabriel still in the presence of God. You just may need to hear that today Jeep Joseph woke up in a Beatty married Mary right away didn't sleep with her and has a son of David that's saying something.

David David this person who who we've really grown to respect over the last few minutes. Who's who shows up in the genealogy in Matthew chapter 1 curiously? Matthew 1:6 and Jesse the father of David the king and David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.

And Solomon love this woman Bathsheba who was brought into the household. Let's just say of David was not his own wife. Joseph son of David with remarkable restraint

doesn't throw under the bus doesn't doesn't sleep with her just obeys and says let the Lord's will be done now. That's that's something that's pretty special. He then raised his Jesus has his own son engaged the awkwardness. He's in a small town people. What when people call Jesus the son of Mary. The babe the son of Mary that was a dig on Joseph. That was that was a slam on Jesus normally a patriarchal society. Normally you'd be the son of your father not the son of your mother and we don't even know what to do with Joseph. He's got this story about Gabriel showing up. He's got the story but I don't know it was probably one of these other scenarios probably he's just raising some other person's kids and he's not he's just walking around you. She's dragging him around by the by the hand through the marketplace and he's just not he's not much of a man. This is all going on in this situation. He just engaged the awkward indoors The Whispers experience the shaming. How do I was going to ready to experience the same but I don't think he did cuz he knows where this all started and he knows where this is going and he has a sense of confidence in this is the way I'm supposed to obey but the shame in the desire to just put him down into put this little family down. I'm lasted throughout that he dropped out of the picture. A little bit later. We don't see him past Jesus's youth. We don't hear much about Joseph. It may be that he just died but throughout just a really faithful figure Who Says Yes to Jesus the whole way.

Joseph wouldn't coach you today and say oh, yeah, you want to be a part of God's plan to rescue Humanity easy stuff. Just sign up here who would like to be part of God's rescue plan to save Humanity who wants to trust that Jesus is Lord and Christ and savior and and commit yourself to him. It's going to be easy. Joseph would not be the first one he would say. Hey if you're going to do this, you're going to walk the aisle, if you're going to say yes to him. You need to know it. It actually is a little bit difficult. It's very difficult cost you a whole lot to say yes to him. And I know that that doesn't sound like a great sales pitch because it's not a sales pitch. It's just dealing with the reality of who Christ is and what how his kingdom runs. He's willing to dive into this this mess the cost for Joseph was extreme tremendous the cost on that family was extreme and it was worth it. It was absolutely worth it to say yes to God to say yes to Jesus is absolutely worth it. If you could you can stick around after where you could pull people in here who have said yes to Jesus who are learning to say yes to Jesus. They'll say it's worth it every single time. Absolutely. Is it hard? Is it difficult to the cost to get a feel so good because that's the way it is when you follow to be a part of his his rescue plan. It's super super important.

Christ comes as the one who would save his people from his sins The Rescuer and he gladly gives up everything to come and rescue you. We'll look at this in a couple weeks or when you get down to Jesus's sword of Joseph Mary and Jesus in the next week's Joseph today. But I haven't I can't save it all for the G-Day on Jesus, right? He gladly gave up everything to pursue you to dry you out of your sin, but he gets your mess. He gets the he gets the broken. He totally has understood your situation and this is something that's becoming real this morning. As I was praying this morning just became more more real to me. But I think I used to believe the God only uses people with good reputations.

God only can work his rescue plan through people who have good reputations among people around.

And as a good little boy growing up in my household, I knew it was all about maintaining your reputation. This is thanks for being my therapist by the way. I really appreciate this. Y'all very kind to allow me to do this on stage.

I think that that has been my moat.

I can be frank with you. I think it's been some of your mode to maintain that reputation cuz that's how God will do his work. Look at all the examples. Yeah, that's what we're trying to do. It doesn't seem he seems to actually ruin Joseph's reputation. So that he could accomplish his rescue plan. What's that saying about your situation your sordid past who you you you graced steps of our they walked in the foyer and you thought maybe I don't know a guy going to strike me dead cuz I'm not that great of a person and I don't have a great reputation and and my first couple divorces look like this and and I'm really struggling with and I don't know if my mess could really even be made anything. I died. I feel like even bad showing up, but it's Christmas. I'm supposed to show you know that maybe that's you. And maybe you need to hear this. It's not that concerned with your reputation. He can do a work in and through people who are weak data that works in through people who are messed up. You can do work through people who don't look great on the outside. And you do work through us. And it's a rescue will gladly give up anything to do this work in and through US those who would be rescued obviously give up everything to fine. I'll give up my reputation fine. I'll look a fool in my workplace fine. I will I will be one of those Christians who says yeah, I don't know what else to say. Jesus is Lord, and I've got to reorient my life around both the claims of Jesus and I'm sorry if that makes me look foolish, but I guess my goal isn't to look wise guy goes to follow Jesus and say yes. And in that maybe for you today just a moment where you just need to say. Yes to Jesus. I'm over over some things you prized more than Jesus. weather resistant clothing Hebrews is a wonderful sermon preached and then written down as I understand it. But he's talking about how. How humans specially the Jewish people but then how it includes all peoples of the world needed needed to be cleansed of their sins rescued. since the children in US share in flesh and blood Jesus Took the same things on partook of the same things that through death his own death, you might destroy the one who has the power of death. It is the devil and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. I stamped on their hostages. Oh, that's because I think I Think Jesus came and became a hostage with us. Play Jesus knew that we were trapped as we just became one of us and said okay, I'm going to make a rescue plan out of this. He identified with us as broken identified with us in our mess. He's had names called throughout his life whenever they talked about your you know, children whatever they talked about Father's whenever they talk. They always brought up Jesus's curious birth and curious parentage constantly brought that up he gets that he he identifies with that that yuckiness you feel but isolation that shame that the broken is he he engage is that to draw us out of it so that we can have a name that is above all names to be named with with Christ. Someone encourage you today that he knows you. He knows what's going on. He knows your backstory and he's willing to engage with them and he has hope for you today. And I want to I want also just just ask you if if you haven't said yes to Jesus in that primary way, which is okay. If you are who you say you are king of kings and Lord of lords. If you are who you say you are the restroom who came to to save us from our filth and and and just the disgusting shameful practices. If you really are that person than I say yes to you. You are king and Lord make me your family. That's a moment that you need to have have today. So I encourage you to do that. I'm going to put this put these up for a moment, but you might not have a discussion this afternoon there available on our website at the bullet that they are online bulletin saw these slides are but I'll just go quickly through it. What about the backstory of Christmas affects how you think of your backstory? You think God is surprised by the mess you were in can you be open with him about it that I was thinking of you open with each other about it. Can you can you start to review a little bit now? This is where I think the mess I'm in you think you can only use perfect people with good reputations. That's the way I grew up. So I said, yes. Okay. Why you no, have you ever felt like a hostage to your backstory? What would hope feel like are you open to being rescued by Jesus and have you used as an ID? When do we use an excuse like Zacharia? I'm old. I'm tired. I've done my time. What would a better response look like I just want to encourage you as we go into Christmas. And is you hear those beautiful? Carol's and his you hear the Chimes and you look at this beautiful stuff that you to create a thank you so much, As you just said is you sit in as you sit in the Wonder of Christmas just just know that's a the snow covers over quite a backstory for all of us. Just like when when the snow covers all of the garbage in the streets and makes everything looks like look wonderful his his love washes over all that junk that you've got carrying on and if we can walk with you through that if we can help you find people to engage that mess we're up for that. I'm a pastor for instance. That's what I love to do. You know, let's let's chat. Let's let's figure out how to walk through this and we not only these great examples, but with Jesus and his power behind us and let's pray.