Joseph and His 4 Dreams | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

As you and I know, this uh Christmas story is centered on the prophetically predicted, highly anticipated, unmatched birth miracle of humanity's savior. The entrance of Jesus Christ into the world is the pinnacle. It's the point. It's the reason. And although that is in fact a unmatched moment in human history, there are many supernatural events that surround it.

I mean, think about it. Think about all the other miracles before and after that moment, as our brother said, that split time into two. They think about the angelic visitation with the shepherds on the field. We think about even Simeon at the temple, who was led by the Holy Spirit to see the Savior as a babe. What about Mary visiting Elizabeth and her womb leaping as a result of the Holy Spirit moving in that womb? And there's so many other instances, I'm sure, that you can recall and testify of in the word of God.

But I want to bring to our attention today a particular miracle that occurred with an interesting man. This man was from the house and lineage of David. This man would be chosen by God to be the legal guardian and father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph, there isn't very much mention about Joseph in the word of God. But with the very little that is given to us in the record of the Bible, it's interesting how Matthew specifically highlights his experience with the miraculous by way of dreams. I mean, he he he just appears there in Matthew and in Luke, and shortly after, he's withdrawn from these accounts. But with what we have, we notice that God not only chose him, but directed him in a very profound way.

Joseph did not just have one dream. Does anybody know the total amount of dreams that Joseph had? You can say it out loud if you know the answer. Not three, four. Matthew tells us a total of four dreams that Joseph had. And though these are unique instances, though they are separate occurrences, they do share two main things. All these dreams have these commonalities.

First, all these dreams were purposed to redirect Joseph in a way so that ancient prophecy would be fulfilled. And so with every section where these dreams are mentioned, you will read something along the lines of, "At the end, this was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet," or "what was spoken by the prophets," followed by a reference, a direct quotation to that prophecy or general paraphrase.

But it's not just to redirect Joseph in order to be positioned for prophecy to be known. The second thing that all of these dreams have in common is that they were calls to obedience. They were not merely revelations. They were practical calls to trust God, submit to his wishes, and to comply merely because he is God, and Joseph, and also we are his servants.

And what's so fascinating about looking at these moments is, is it's not just seeing God fulfill his word, words that he has spoken hundreds of years before this time. What's also so exhilarating is seeing Joseph's unreserved and immediate obedience to the word of God. You know, you look at this man again, and you see, as I mentioned earlier, that there is not much written about him. But based on what you and I will hear today, you will recognize this person. Whenever he learned what God desired of him, did not fail to fulfill it.

In fact, what's so interesting about Joseph is that you don't have one recorded word that came from him in the Bible. Joseph never said one thing. Not that he couldn't speak, but that the Holy Spirit has never kept for us any utterance that Joseph has made. He is the silent servant. And what's so great about that is his actions spoke more than anything else. And so whenever an angel did visit him in a dream and gave him instructions, Joseph never debated. He never challenged. He never questioned. He never doubted. Whatever was told to him, he responded with obedience, with absolute and total trust. That moves me. That moves me to see a man who says so much about his character, not with what he says, but what what he does.

And so there are two main approaches that you can take with these passages. You and I today can examine further the prophecies that are connected to these four dreams. Or we can look at four insights about obedience. Four insights about obedience from a man whom Matthew says in chapter 1, verse 19, was just, or in another translation, righteous. And we will consider the latter today.

I'm speaking today to born-again believers. I'm speaking today to those who have already responded to the Christmas message, the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm speaking to those who know that everything we hear in terms of instructions or commands is from the foundation of grace. I have been made righteous. I have been saved by his mercy. I don't do anything to earn my eternal life. I don't do anything to earn and secure a right standing with God. But from there, not only do we have that guarantee, but we have a new set of desires. And one of those desires is, "I long to please my Master. I long to serve Him. I long to play any part in advancing His purposes on the earth."

And I want to encourage you today, even as we prepare to enter into a new year, to consider four insights into God-pleasing obedience that will in fact advance His purpose for you in your life and through your life. And they are found in each of these dreams. And so, let's consider the first dream together and see what we can learn about obedience from there. Turn with me to Matthew 1 and verse 20. Matthew 1:20.

"But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream." Pause. This is not the angel of the Lord. Who's the angel of the Lord? Jesus Christ. This is an angel of the Lord. "Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife. For that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel.'"

The first lesson that you and I can gather from this initial dream is about overcoming fear in obedience. Sometimes obeying God is scary. It is intimidating. You can sense the cost and the price of it before you even move in that act of obedience. And we see that truth based on what the angel says to Joseph as he is asleep. He was told, "Do not fear." Don't fear what? "Do not fear to take Mary as your wife."

Now, why would Joseph be afraid to do that? Because you remember, Mary has already conceived. There is already evidence that she is with child. And from a human standpoint, to interpret that is a mystery. And the most logical explanation, again from a human standpoint, is, well, if this didn't happen with your husband, then this is infidelity. This is unfaithfulness. This is immoral. And so there's a questionable thing concerning Mary's character here. And even Joseph himself, as just and as righteous as he was, came to an unfavorable conclusion because before this, we read that he had resolved to divorce her quietly. He didn't want to create a scandal, but he also said, "I, I can't make sense of this. How can I marry somebody with this going on? I'm going to go my separate ways." And as he pondered these things, an angel came. The Lord sent a messenger to halt him and to encourage him. "Joseph, don't fear. As you're thinking back and forth about this, I want you to have confidence that you can indeed have Mary as your wife." And then he gives a very brief explanation why.

But can you put yourself in his shoes for a moment, leading up to this? How, how, how can I explain the birth of this child? How can we explain this to people and have them even believe it? What will happen to Mary down the road as more and more people understand and learn of the background of this child? What will become of my reputation as I marry somebody who will be deemed by many as a potential adulteress? Will people think that I don't value character? Will people think that I was somehow coerced? What's going to happen to my business? Oh, man, I might lose customers because of this.

And though we do not know the essence of Joseph's fears, we know that God challenged him to not allow any worry or speculation to stand in the way of obedience. And you and I also, as we walk in this life, will learn of God's will in a matter. And when you do, you might have your heart be flooded with theories and ideas and speculations that might hinder you to move forward. And like Joseph, do not expect to have an elaborate forecast of what your step of faith will bring about. Joseph didn't receive it. We should not expect it ourselves. And that shouldn't be your preoccupation or mine, anyway.

The one thing that you and I should be concerned about above all else concerning whether we should obey God in a matter or not is this: "Lord, is this what You want? Lord, is this what You're asking of me? Lord, is this Your will? Lord, is this what You will be pleased with?" And that is enough motivation for you and I to leap over any hindrance that would try to keep us from doing what God's called us to do. I may not have all the answers, but this one thing is clear: In this situation, in this circumstance, in this predicament, God's word has an answer. So, I will trust in Him. I will believe Him. I will rely on Him. Come what may. Come what may.

This is so important to understand. There are people perhaps in this room right now who are hesitant to follow Jesus Christ because you're afraid. You're afraid of what your spouse will say. You're afraid of what your friends will say. You're afraid of the cost of walking in holiness and obedience and submission to the word of God in this crazy culture that more and more wants to dismiss this concept of God and objective truth. And so you're hesitant. And maybe you're a believer in this place and you're also hesitant to obey God and trust God. I've met some young people also who are in a relationship that they know they should not be in. And they are hesitant to obey God's will. And so what do they do? Well, again, like Joseph, perhaps they have crashing thoughts. "Will I ever get married? What will happen to this person if, with this history of emotion and investment, we we we split ways?" They're compromising job, compromising relationships, compromising anything. So many even believers can feel the crippling effects of fear when God's light shines on a matter that demands faith and obedience.

And when you and I are faced with those moments, what do we do? Oh, this is a treasure chest filled with encouragement for us to face any fear, even fears as we are on the crossroads wondering if we should move forward or not. Listen to these words. I just want you to listen to them from Isaiah 41:10. And I want you to hear them in light of potential fear in walking in obedience to God's call in a particular area in your life. Here's what the Lord says, not just to His people Israel, but to us today: "Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." How many more "I wills" can you get? How many more promises from God's personal presence and power do you need? As you are standing at the threshold of wondering, "Should I do this? I know God says I need to, but all these fears." Here's what the Lord says to you: "I'll be with you. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you." You have no reason to fear as long as you know that this is My will. So, Joseph teaches us that you and I must learn to overcome fear in obedience because fear is often a foe to faith.

But let's come to the second dream together, shall we? This is not the only one. We come now here to Matthew chapter 2, verse 13. Matthew chapter 2:13.

"Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.' And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. 'Out of Egypt, I called my son.'"

So, the wise men from the East have arrived. They were supernaturally guided, another supernatural occurrence connected to the story of Christmas, to the child Jesus. And when they came to him, we were told that they worshiped Him. And when they worshiped Him, they went beyond. They gave gifts to Him. And then they departed back to their land and they were warned in the dream to avoid a certain route. And once this took place, another dream visits Joseph, and an angel of the Lord speaks to him with urgency. There is a warning now that could not afford any delay. Why? Because now there is a campaign, a campaign to search for the child Jesus and to destroy Him. And so Joseph did not hesitate. Again, a man with no words, but a man who spoke through his actions. He got up and by night, he made his way to the south, many, many miles away from where he is now.

And the second lesson of obedience that we can draw from this dream is this: We must learn to wait in obedience. We must learn to be awaiting people as we obey our God. And where do I get that from? Notice the specific instruction here, uh, in the middle of verse 13. He says, "Flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you." Remain there until I tell you. If I was Joseph, I would have probably asked for a little bit more details. Some general timeline would have been helpful. "How long, Lord? Like, three months, six months, nine months, a year and a half? How long am I to go to this foreign land?" No answer is given. No insight is provided. A simple, "Trust me and wait for me until I tell you what to do next."

It is quite interesting if you study the word of God from cover to cover, how much is mentioned concerning the discipline of waiting on God. There are clear, direct exhortations to wait on the Lord, and there are illustrations and examples like what we have before us today. Waiting is not a foreign experience for the faithful. For those who pursue obedience, you can expect delay when you desire something for the now. And this is true for this man and his family.

What does it mean to wait on the Lord? You'll read it in Psalms again. You'll see it through narratives. What does it mean, though? Here's what it means to wait on the Lord: To wait on the Lord is to refrain from acting in the flesh to meet your need. To remain, not just refrain, refrain, but to remain in obedience to God in the moment that you're in, while trustingly expecting God to come through with your need. To refrain from acting in the flesh to accomplish what you want to see accomplished. To remain obedient where you are in that circumstance, the capacity to which you've been given. All the while, your heart is trusting and waiting on God to intervene for that need that you have.

To wait on the Lord is no excuse to be unresponsive or inactive before you receive some kind of supernatural confirmation for absolutely everything in life. You don't have to be like that. There are some things that God has already made plain and obvious that doesn't require you to wait for an answer. And so, we're not to be frozen, and we're not to be stoic, and we're not to, in the name of spirituality, seek audible voices for every single step you make in life. But to wait on the Lord, generally speaking, is the necessity to act in faith when you have run out of all other natural options. And the only solution you have now is for God's intervention. I've prayed. I've talked about it. I've knocked. I've searched. I've inquired. I've visited. I've done everything that I can to try to move forward in this, and nothing's coming through. And when you find yourself there, what is demanded of you according to the word of God? Wait on the Lord. That's what it means to wait on God. You've done all you can as a duty. You've done all as you can with the clarity of God's word, and still no results, and still no clarity, and still no direction. What do I do now? Well, God's put you in a place to act in faith. And that act of faith is called waiting on Him. To wait on the Lord.

But why? Because you know that delay is agonizing, right? If I were to ask you here today, "Who here enjoys waiting?" I would be shocked if even one of you were to answer. "Yeah, I think I like waiting." Actually, we don't. It annoys us. And we understand here that God sometimes allows it. Why? Why? Why can't He do everything? Am I not a servant of His? Isn't time short? Why would God permit pause in my life? Do you know why? Because it is one of the most profound, powerful, listen to this, faith-revealing and faith-developing exercises you can endure. Faith-revealing, faith-developing exercises that you can endure. It exposes us, doesn't it? Does it not? Does not waiting reveal so much about us? Where's your worship now as you wait? Where is it? It's high and mighty when everything is going smooth. No turbulence. Hallelujah. Okay. Now what? No answer. Darkness. No clarity. Where's your worship now? What is testified of your trust when there seems to be no light? Where will you go? What will you be?

There's so many examples of what I'm saying to you about how waiting is a faith-revealing, faith-developing exercise. And one that comes to mind is when the nation of Israel, at some point, was threatened to be surrounded by the Assyrians. And these rumors of conspiracies and nations coming together to bring about a siege has caused them to wonder how they can prepare for this. And one of the most tempting thoughts to them was, "Let's make an alliance with Egypt. Let's go to Egypt." Now, biblically speaking, there's nothing wrong with Egypt. There's nothing wrong with Egyptians. I have Egyptian friends. I loved Egypt. Okay? But it's, it's a symbol in the Bible. And the symbol of Egypt in the Bible is of the world. And Israel was never to make an alliance with a foreign nation because their trust must ultimately be in God. But they were entertaining this, and they were ready to jump on this, and they were ready to do something that God had said not to do. Why? Because God was not providing immediate answers to this potential threat. They had to wait. And guess what? Just like you and me, we don't like to wait. They didn't like to wait.

So notice this. This is in a chapter in Isaiah, chapter 30, verse 15. You can turn there if you'd like. If you want an example of how waiting is a faith-revealing, faith-developing exercise. Isaiah 30:15 reads, "For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel." This is so powerful. "In returning and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and in trust shall be your strength." Ain't that profound? This is where it gets heartbreaking. "But you were unwilling." Unwilling to do what? Unwilling to rest. Unwilling to remain quiet. Unwilling to trust. You were unwilling. And you said, "No, no, we will flee upon horses." He says, "Therefore, you shall flee away, and we will ride upon swift steeds. Therefore, your pursuers shall be swift."

What's going on here? Horses was a symbol of military strength. And Israel, the special people of God that had a covenant with God, God had told Israel in the infancy of their nation, "You shall not acquire many horses." Because again, I don't even want your faith and trust to be in your military might, in your resources. I want it to be in Me. And so, in some sense, this is a symbol of them trusting in that which God says, "You don't have to put your trust there. Put it in Me." But there's another meaning according to the context. To say, "We will flee upon horses" is to imply, "We're running to Egypt. We're getting on the fastest track and we're making our way to make an alliance with this people."

You know what waiting does? It will show you where you will ultimately run to in your need. Where will you run to as you wait? As you've been seeking and you have been waiting. But where will you go? Will you turn to human wisdom now? Will you turn your back from worship? Worship when it really counts, and put your hand in the hand of the world? Will you rely on the flesh? Will you be like Abraham in birth and Ishmael when God is prepared to give an Isaac? Waiting reveals the quality of our faith. Waiting is what produces the fragrance of faith that truly blesses God and bears witness to a watching world.

And in this case, with this generation of Israelites, they said, "No, we're not doing this. This faith thing is not practical. This is not relevant to real life. This is nice stories for my children to have some moral framework, but this can't be real." No, it is real. So, I'm going to go my own way. I tried this God thing. It didn't really work out the way I thought. Thank you very much. We'll go to Egypt. And the Lord says, "Okay, flee. You're going to be pursued." All right. "Ride swiftly upon steeds. Your pursuers are going to be faster than you." Ultimate deliverance comes from God anyway. So, why are you going to run from Him? What are you going to run to? Everything else has failed, and everything else will fail unless it's done in the name and by the wisdom of our God.

What do I do then when I have again exhausted every option? I've done all that I can practically, and yet nothing is coming through. Psalm 37:7: "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Perhaps even now today, you are waiting on God for something, and that could be anything. It can even include deliverance from enemies where you are so tempted to act in the flesh, to respond carnally, and the word of the Lord says, "Wait for Me. Vengeance is Mine." Whatever the case may be, can I, can I offer some encouragement to you to strengthen you in your waiting as you obey God? It's very simple. Very simple thing that you can do. Reflect on what He's done before and where you are today. And if you're honest to see His faithfulness, you can trust Him for tomorrow.

Where are you today? I know you're concerned about tomorrow. I know you're not certain for what's to come. But look at where you're at today. Has He not been faithful to you? Has He not been perfect in His provision for you? Do you realize what's on your back? Do you realize what's before you? Do you realize what's around you? Do you realize His goodness even now? And if you can sober up and see it, then you will have a little bit more strength to wait on the Lord a little bit longer.

Consider, in Joseph's case, you know, sometimes we read these stories and we kind of see it like a movie. We just see these random cut scenes and we don't consider the transition. We don't consider the implications of some of these things. "Joseph, get up and go to Egypt." You know what that requires? That requires time. That requires effort. You have a wife with a newborn. That requires expenses. That requires a shift in life altogether. Moving to another country. Okay. What's going to happen to my business? I'm a carpenter. What's going to happen here? Okay. What, what's going to happen to the livelihood of my family? How am I going to provide for them? What are we going to do for lodging? How am I going to be able to adapt to this new culture, this new place? We've got to think about this when we read things like, "Oh, that's nice. Joseph obeyed God." No. Think about the cost. Think about the reality of it, the implications of it.

And yet, in this very same story, you realize that God has already prepared everything that Joseph needed. God was faithful to him up to this point from the first dream. And God is preparing him for the next set of commands that He is ready to give. You're saying, "What do you mean?" Yeah, consider again the expenses, the grueling travel, the unknown of how you're going to live in a place where you don't know how long you're going to stay. What happened right before this? The wise men came. And when the wise men came, they not only worshiped, but they gave what? Gifts. What were one of those gifts? Gold. Coincidence? No, no, no, no, no. Sweet providence. So even through that, Joseph would have exactly what he needed to have in order to take flight in the night and be taken care of perfectly.

Consider how God has taken care of you up to this point. Consider how day by day He's meeting your needs. Maybe not your wants, but your needs. And this is what we see with Joseph. If you're concerned about God's leading for tomorrow, remember how He has led you until today. We have to learn how to wait as we obey.

Then we come to the third dream in Matthew 2:19. Matthew 2:19.

"But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.' And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel."

When coupling the third dream, as we just read, with the second dream together, the impression that you and I should have is that God's commands, no matter how challenging, no matter how demanding or inconvenient they may be, are always for our good. Here's the third truth about obedience. Not only must we overcome fear in obedience, not only must we learn to wait in obedience, but thirdly, we must believe that God designed His commands for our good.

What's so interesting about this here is that the angel in the second dream, when he told him to leave Israel to go to Egypt, did not tell him, "You're going to go and then once Herod dies and his goons, then I'll bring you back." Go, remain there until I tell you. And it is here in the third dream where Joseph is told, "They're long gone now. You can head back. It's safe for you." Now, what if, what if Joseph had not been patient? What if Joseph, in his own mind, maybe in his discomfort, maybe in his calculation of the environment of reports that he's heard about Herod, you know, things have maybe subsided. It's been quite a while now. I think it's safe to go back. That would have been a fatal mistake. A fatal mistake.

Complete obedience to the Lord is not only necessary, it always pays off. It always, you can never go wrong trusting Jesus. You can never go wrong trusting on the Lord. This is a universal promise from this practical illustration. And the instructions that Joseph received here at this point were no doubt challenging. But everything that the Lord had given him was profitable. He didn't fail with the first two dreams. He's not going to fail with the third instruction. It is always profitable to go with God's way. Always. No matter what it asks of you in the natural, you can guarantee this: My God is good. His intentions are good. Yes, ultimately for His glory do I obey. But I also know that for my good, He is leading me this way.

Compare the command here with the second command because if you put them side by side, they almost are identical except for the location, right? But there is one other slight difference. So let's read again the second instruction from the second dream in chapter 2:13. "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Pay attention. Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt.'" Keep that in mind. Now you come down to verse 20 and you see the third dream with the third instruction. "But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 'Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel.'"

What's the difference? The first time he said, "Flee, flee to Egypt." And after remaining in Egypt, and he was ready to head back to his hometown, the angel says, "Go, go to the land of Israel." The word "flee" in the second dream is the same word that Jesus uses in Matthew 10:23 when He instructs His disciples, "When you experience persecution in one city, flee to another." It denotes the escape of danger and threats. It denotes seeking and fleeing for refuge from potential problems and powers that be against you. But the word "go" here doesn't have that urgency. It's not that he could delay, but it is a different pace.

And this may seem like a simple observation, but it shows me something about God's instructions for us. The ones that we even find in His word primarily, you know, His commands are not arbitrary. His commands are not void of purpose. You have to hear this very carefully. They are intentional. They are calculated. Behind every decree is a perfect perception. Is a richness of wisdom and an understanding that is worth trusting. When God tells us things, they're not just random instructions that have no heartbeat behind it, that have no wisdom behind it. He knows exactly what He is asking of us. And though you may not know the depth of the reward behind that obedience, you can trust that God has good in mind.

How much more is this needed in a time where the commands of this book are being challenged by our culture and Christians are caving in, feeling like we need to, we need to adapt because these things don't seem to be relevant. These things seem to be ancient and barbaric and far off. We've developed, developed into what, may I add? Developed into what? So in those moments where we look at God's commands, we say, "I know it's true." You can go beyond it just being true. It's good. It's totally. It's perfect. He loves us. And when He commands us, it's for us to know His love and His perfect plan. And this is what Joseph experienced. We see that you and I also can look at every command He gives us and believe that they are designed for our pleasure. Yes, holy pleasure and His glory.

Let's come to the last dream together. The last dream provides our last insight among many insights that you can pull from these things. Look at Matthew 2:22 and 23.

"But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and he lived and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene."

I make this point here as a concluding observation to Joseph's overall experience, and here it is. The fourth insight concerning obedience is that we must never forget that a life of obedience is intensely practical, intensely realistic. You know, you might look at Joseph's experience here with these dreams and think to yourself, "What a privileged man." I mean, not only did he have dreams, but there was no need for interpretation. It wasn't ambiguous. It was as clear as day. "This is what you do and go do it." All right, great. There was no denying that it was of God. It was there. This is not a debate of whether or not this is what you ate last night or if this is really from God. It was from God, and there was no question about it. Clear and direct. And some people would say, "I would like that kind of guidance in life." Who wouldn't? Imagine God being able to tell you, "Mary. Oh, okay. Thank you. Move here." Oh, thank you. "Okay, time to move out." Thank you. People dream about this stuff. And you have genuine Christians who are wondering, "How can I have that kind of direction in my life?" We would all want that, every step of the way, to get God's perfect leadership on it and for it. So, why does Joseph get to heaven and not me? Well, there's a difference between you and Joseph. Okay? Joseph was called to supervise the Son of God. I know Jesus is in your heart. It's not the same thing. I know you're a child of God, but it's not the same thing. To take care of and watch over the incarnate Son of God, you would think requires a little bit more special attention, right? That is true.

And without dismissing the unique things that Joseph experienced, I would actually look at it in a different way. You're saying, "In what way?" Well, if we are dealing with God's compass and God's GPS for Joseph and primarily his son, you would think that there would be more miracles. You would think that there would be more divine interventions. You would think that there would be more demonstrations of supernatural power, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you?

What do you say? What do you mean, preacher? Here's what I mean. So, Herod wants to kill the Son of God, the Savior of the world, right? Kill him. Why call this family with limited resources, with looming danger, to get up and go to a different country? Can't You just deal with the problem right there, right then? Yes, He could have. Okay, never mind dealing with Herod. Why the travel even? We read in Acts chapter 8 that Philip, after baptizing the eunuch, was what? He was taken up by the Spirit of the Lord and brought to a completely different location. Couldn't He have done the same for this family? All right, you need to get to Egypt. There you are. Okay, you need to go back. There you are. Why the packing? Why the uncertainty? Why not the preparation to let family and friends know, "We're not going to be here. We don't know how long"? Why? None of that. Why?

Well, it says something about God and how He leads the faithful and how He guides the obedient. If Joseph's journey, in many ways, included ordinary means to fulfill God's will, why should we doubt God's leadership in our lives as He uses similar procedures? There can be no doubt that there are moments where God can do a miracle. But consider the miraculous in Joseph's life. Here's a miracle. Here's another miracle. Here's another miracle. But what's going on in between? Practical, real-life, day-to-day decisions. And you and I have to understand that that's how God often, moreover more often, leads us in our day-to-day.

And I think about all the hopes and dreams that we even have as a church as we are seeking His provision, as we are looking to transition. We should not limit God in guiding us in the way we think He should. In the miraculous, in the fascinating, in the story-gripping ways that we would like Him. He can do that. He's able to. We have no doubt that He can. But what if He does it through natural means? What, what if He does it through obvious ways? Is it any less God? It's not. You see it here. He treats even one of the most obedient servants in the word of God. So, we should expect the same for ourselves. Don't be discouraged. I want to see God's fingerprints in my life. Praise God. I want to see it, too. But just look a little closer. Remove the filter of the miraculous and and see it through the word of God and understand how God works with His people.

We must overcome fear in obedience. We must learn to wait in obedience. We must believe that God's commands are designed for our good. And we must understand that a life of obedience is intensely practical. Intensely practical. I hope that encourages the believer in this place as you seek to obey God.

But I want to speak to the person here today who is hearing about Jesus for the first time, or the hundredth time, but you don't know Him. Uh, I'm afraid that you can leave a place like this and think that Christianity is all about obeying. Christianity is about obeying, but with a different motivation than you might think. Uh, we're not about a bunch of righteous people who have gathered here today to figure out how we can be more righteous so that we can have better rewards. No, every single person here who truly follows Jesus Christ and believes in Him understands that they are far from righteous. And they've come to the place where they realize that no obedience, no matter how extravagant or consistent or pure it might be, can ever, ever, ever satisfy God's holy, righteous demands.

And so, what, what are we about then? Well, we're about understanding that in our failure to be holy and to be righteous before God, God, in His love, sends His Son Jesus Christ to live a life of perfection. And then to die a death that He did not deserve, but that we deserve, so that by understanding that, we would also see that He did this for us. You're saying, "What do you mean, for us?" Well, think about it. In your lack of perfection, He has supplied your perfection. So that through His life of perfect obedience, if you believe in Him and trust that His life is, in fact, a perfect life, then the righteousness He has now becomes yours. Think of it as a transfer of funds. You are bankrupt. He is rich in righteousness and mercy. And when you just claim that you indeed are bankrupt and you need to pay off this debt called sin, He's willing to give you the funds necessary. And more than that, He dies a death that you and I deserve. He takes the punishment, right? Because He's a righteous judge. He doesn't just sweep crime underneath the carpet. He doesn't just let things go. He has to deal with it as a, as a just judge would. And He takes that punishment even upon Himself. So that now your death and the crimes that you've committed, the, the breaking of all the laws of God have been satisfied, have been taken care of in the person of Jesus Christ.

So, let me simplify it. What is Christianity all about? It's about humbling yourself and realizing that you need a Savior and believing that this Savior will give you His perfection. He will take your debt. He paid for it on the cross. And you now, upon confessing your sin, repenting of it, and saying yes to the Lord Jesus Christ, will indeed be guaranteed righteousness, eternal life, and life even now. That's the truth. So, everything you just heard in the past 50 minutes, yeah, I know it's been 50 minutes. Everything that you just heard about obedience and what it means to obey is from the place of being accepted by God in Christ Jesus. That's what it's from, and that's what it's about. So, we're not here trying to grope our way and seek for God's approval. We've been approved by Christ, and in Christ, now we are clothed in His righteousness. So, God the Father looks upon you, and He sees the perfection of His Son. This is the gospel.

[applause]

So, I'm afraid I don't want there to be any mistranslation or misunderstanding from this sermon. I may never see you again. I hope so. Oh, I can see you. I'd love to see you again. More importantly, I'd love to see you in heaven. Time is running short. Look, even the unbelieving are think judgment day is coming. Man, it's getting really bad out here. They believe that more than some Christians do. Some Christians are in La La Land, so distracted, distracted by the world and sin. But praise God, not in this place. I hope we understand the seriousness of the hour. We understand that this is about life and death. We understand this is about heaven and hell. We understand that this life, this world is temporal, and there's something more real after this. Your heart knows it. Your soul knows it. Eternity has been written on our hearts. You know it in your heart. You didn't just come out of goo coming together in a collision. You're not just the result of some accident. There's purpose behind your existence. There's reason for who you are. And that instinct, instinct that you realize there's something more than this, that is God's code on your soul. That's in your DNA. It's because you were created to know Him and be with Him. But there's something that's separating you from Him. That's sin. And praise God, 2,000 years ago, He dealt with it. And you can deal with it once and for all today if you just humble yourself before the cross and say, "I've been arrogant. I've been willing to deny You and suppress this truth because I want my way. I want to be the God of my life. I don't want somebody in the sky to tell me what to do." Well, how's that working out for you? Jesus says, "I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." And you can know that life. You can know the peace of forgiveness. You can know the joy of wholeness because you will find your purpose in Him alone. And you will have not just eternal life, you'll have a relationship with this God who has indeed saved us. I want that for you. I want that for you. Silver and gold, I have not. I don't. And whether I see you in this place again, that's between you and God. But what I want you to have more than anything else is the assurance that you have Christ. That's it.

So, you might be wondering today, "This is a little bit more intense of a Christmas service than I'm used to." So be it. One preacher said, "I preach as a dying man unto dying men." And so, I believe this truth. This church believes this truth. And we want you to know this truth. That's all this is. Would you say yes to Him?

Lord, we thank You. We thank You. We thank You that in the word of God, we have wisdom for salvation, but You also have wisdom for those who have received salvation. Thank You that in the story of Joseph, You've given us a wonderful example of the kind of obedience that You look for from a just and righteous man, according to Matthew. Help us as believers, with the greatest motivation in grace, to be able to excel in a life that's consecrated unto You. And when we feel the cost of conformity, may we not be afraid. And when we feel the drudgery of waiting, may we trust in You. And Lord, when we doubt Your goodness in Your leading and commands over our lives, may we see the good in it. And Lord, may when we think that perhaps You're not really writing the story of our lives, may we know that You are intensely practical. You can do miracles, and we want to see it. But Lord, You are intensely practical. Lord, help us this week to know rest, rest in You. Prepare us for a new year. And if it's Your will for us to have a new year, that we would live that year with a greater delight and zeal for Your name. We worship You now in closing with thanksgiving in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

Hey church, can we stand? Let's worship. This is the reason for the season. It's about Christ. It's about His love for us. It's about Him being our gift for all eternity.