An Unexpected Gift

Thank you, Pastor Nate, for the privilege of sharing the Word. This is just an awesome moment, and I want to get into it in just a moment, but Merry Christmas, everyone. I am so excited. Christmas time is gift-giving time, and I have a confession that I want to start off with, and that is that I am a horrible gift giver. I confess, and unfortunately, I'm going to share a story with you that you'll be able to make fun of me about, but it's going to prove the point. A few years ago, quite a few years ago, there was a gift under the tree. It was a big gift, and it was unlabeled, and everybody in the household was wondering, whose gift is that? You ever experienced that, where everybody's like, oh, there's a big gift, and I don't know whose it is. I hope it's mine. I don't know what's in it, but it's big, so I want it. It's kind of that moment, and in that moment, all the kids wanted to know whose it was. They found out it was their mother's gift, and it was from me, the good husband that I am. So she went, and after all the gifts were open, she opened it up, and she pulled off all the wrapping, and she saw that it was a burr grinder. Yeah, if you're wondering, what is a burr grinder? Now, you know exactly what my wife was thinking in that moment as she opened it. I was like, you've always wanted one. She goes, I don't even know what this is.

I totally messed up that moment. It was, well, prophetic, because what's interesting is that a burr grinder is something that those coffee snobs like to have to grind their coffee beans. And if you know us, you now know that we've actually now owned two burr grinders in our history. But back then, we didn't know what it was. Matter of fact, we had the gift, and in a sense, now at that moment when she says, I don't even know what this is, we're going, what do I do with that? You ever had those awkward Christmas moments where you just kind of go, I don't know what to do with this. Well, we're going to talk about that in respect to the Christmas story today. We're going to take a different perspective and look at it from an angle. You may not have looked at it before. Before we do, let's pray. Father God, we thank you so much for this Christmas season. It's because of Jesus that we celebrate. And so God, today as we looked at the story, would you speak to us things that maybe you've never spoken before into our hearts and lives? God, would you help me to decrease as you increase? Would you speak far beyond any words spoken today into the hearts, the things that we need to hear as we gather as your people. In Jesus' name, all God's people said, amen, amen. Isaiah 9, 6 says this, for unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. As Pastor Nate taught us, these words were spoken 700 years before their fulfillment. These words were words that were given to a past generation who longed for deliverance. It was a group of people who were said, we are God's chosen people, but where is the deliverance that we've longed for? They were a promise given. These words are also a reminder to us now that God has fulfilled his promise and made himself available to all of us. It's a reminder that God did what he said he was going to do. He promised it. He fulfilled it. And now we can partake in it and we can look forward, somebody say forward, to what God has. And in this moment, I do want to pause and encourage you in this Christmas season to take part in Advent. And I know we're a couple weeks already in, but that's okay. It's never, it's never a bad time to pause and reflect on who Christ is. And in this Advent season, we have a reflection guide. It's a simple guide where we can stop, pause for a moment each and every day and think about who Christ is as we not only celebrate what he has done, but that he is coming back again. He's not done fulfilling his promises and we can take part in that. Well, so this word was a word for those in the past. It's those for those in the future, us and those generations that should Jesus tarry will come. But it's also maybe even more specifically and directly for two individuals who would have to live out the in-between of

what had been said and all that would be and the challenge of caring for the responsibility of the child that now was. The people I'm talking about are Mary and Joseph. We're going to look at the story of Herman Euclid, and I'm so thankful for Mary, the woman who was willing to obey what the angel had said to her, to allow herself to carry the Messiah, to care for, to love, to nurture, to invest in Jesus. But there's a person that I want to look at that we don't talk about that often. Matter of fact, you could almost say sometimes he's kind of forgotten. Talking about Joseph. When I say forgotten, I got to tell you, as we were prepping for kids ministry lessons in December, we're getting all the materials gathered together, and we were looking for nativity sets that we wanted to send out to all locations. And so I heard this conversation outside of my office. You got the nativity? Yeah, I got the nativity. Okay. Yep. We got baby Jesus. Baby Jesus. Check. We got Mary. Yep. I see Mary. All right. Who's this? Well, I think it's a shepherd. Was that Joseph? Well, maybe it's Joseph. Well, it looks like a shepherd. Well, I don't know if it's shepherd or... Well, you know what? Just use the shepherd as Joseph. Okay. Poor Joseph. Forgotten. I think he's a character we often don't see, but today we're going to turn our attention to Joseph and see the value. The fact that his name is in the story. A few years ago, quite a few years ago, because my son is now a younger man, he got a gift from my wife's cousin. And it's this little book. I'm sorry, I got to do this with one hand here. Called Rylan Melendez Meets Baby Jesus. And what's neat about this book is that his name is in the story. So when we open up this storybook and start reading it to him, we're saying, Rylan quickly dressed in traveling clothes and joined the caravan. The bright star shone a silver path in the night after riding a long way. Rylan's name is in here. And he's like, oh, my name is in there. How special. This book became extremely special because it's not just the story. His name. He is part of the story. And I think it's important to recognize that while we don't talk about him often, Joseph is in the story. And I want to pause for a moment and look at what that means. Because Joseph's name being in the story matters. How does it matter? Well, first and foremost, Jesus needed a father. Now, we can talk about fatherhood, and we know that statistics tell us that father involvement has measurable benefits in children's lives academically, emotionally, socially, and it attributes to lifelong success. But we're not

going to talk about the modern translation of fatherhood. I think it's important to pause, pull back, and look at what it meant to be a father in the time of Jesus. Because what's interesting is that there is a cultural context that we don't always know about. In short, in Jesus' time, the father carried everything. Somebody say everything. A child's identity, their tribe, their social standing, their inheritance, even their place in the covenant family came through the father. So Joseph steps into a complicated, gobbledygook kind of a situation. And he's not just being a supportive fiance. He's not just being a good man. He's stepping into the most significant cultural and spiritual role that any man could take on. That's not including the fact that his child would be the Messiah. Joseph, as a father, would be the one who gives identity. He's the one who would lead spiritually. He's the one who protects the household. He's the one who determines the family's future. A father led the way. Joseph's obedience had ramifications in identity, in inheritance, legitimacy, and family. And God hands this enormous role to Joseph in the messiest of situations. Now, let's be honest. This story starts off, and because we know the end of the story, we have romanticized Christmas. It's beautiful and wonderful because we know that Jesus is the Messiah. And so we celebrate it. But can you imagine Joseph getting the news from his fiance, hey, honey, I'm so excited to be engaged to you. By the way, I'm pregnant. But don't worry. It was from the Holy Spirit. We know that this story is true. We know the validity of it now. And we're going to reinforce that today. But back then... In the moment, he's probably like, mm-hmm, okay. This was not an easy moment to step into. And I love that God understands what's going on. Like, so let's go to Matthew chapter one for a second, because we see how messy this is, and it's indicative even here. Matthew one, we see the genealogy. And I so appreciate it. I love Pastor Nate walking us through

and learning that Luke, last week, is written to the skeptic, those who didn't believe, and so Luke did all his research. Matthew, in turn, is written to the Jewish folks, the Jewish family that needs to know that the promise of the Messiah has been fulfilled according to the promises and the word that had been given. So Matthew is giving a thorough account so that the Jewish people understand this really is the Messiah. We read in verse two, Abraham was the father of. I'm actually gonna stop there, because it's just Isaac, the father of, Jacob, the father of, Judah, the father of, Paris, the father of, the father of, father of, all the way until you get to verse 16. And Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah. This is messy. Matter of fact, I feel like if this was a social media profile, it might say, Joseph, status, it's complicated. This is not a cut-and-dry, easy message to absorb, but yet Joseph, being a man of God, walked with character and integrity. But before we even get into that, I think it's important to recognize that God understands the mess. Christmas is complicated for a lot of us.

It's complicated for us. Sometimes we put on the facade, the decorations are up, the calendar is filled, we have the agenda, the schedule, we're gonna tour the things, but the fact is that some of us are crumbling on the inside because Christmas is heavy. Maybe things have happened in life that you didn't expect and there's pain attached. Maybe there's the pressures of finances, expectations to be lived up to, conversations with family. There's never problems with family. What I love is that I don't pretend to understand the complication and the mess that you are walking through this Christmas, but I love that God sees it. Not only does he see it, he hovers over. Let's pause for a moment and go all the way to Genesis chapter one, because this is something that's important in terms of the complication, the messiness of Christmas that I feel like God wants to share with you. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness hovered over the surface of the deep. When God started to create, he found something messy. The next line says, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. I think as we pause and think about the Christmas season and all that it has, I want you to remember, you're not alone.

And whatever mess you see in front of you, God hovers over your situation. Not only does he hover, he's ready to step into it and speak. And when God speaks, everything begins to get transformed. But we need to remember who he is in that moment, that God sees you in your moment and he's ready to step into it. And he does so in the Christmas story. So let's read the Christmas story, Matthew chapter one, and we're gonna look at it from the perspective and the focus of Joseph. So this won't be this Christmas story quite as we've normally shared it. It's gonna be from the focus of Joseph. Matthew chapter one, verse 18, it says this. Joseph discovers that Mary is pregnant. So this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was arranged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to break off the engagement quietly. I love that even in this moment, we recognize, we have to pause. Again, we know the end of the story, but Joseph did not. Matter of fact, all he knew is what his fiance had told her.

I'm pregnant, and it was from the Holy Spirit. And he says, because I wanna guard you. We're gonna do this quietly. It wasn't vengeful, it wasn't tactical. It was intentionally protective because Joseph was a man of integrity. Matthew chapter one, verse 20. The angel appears to Joseph in a dream. So as he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David. The angel said, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him. Somebody say, name him. You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Joseph then moves into a place of obedience in verse 24. When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded, and he took Mary as his wife. But he didn't have sexual relations with her until her son was born, and Joseph named him. Somebody say, named him Jesus. Now we're going to jump over to Luke chapter 2 for a moment. And I'm sorry, we're going to jump all over scripture again, focusing on the story of Joseph and the continuity. Joseph travels to Bethlehem in verse 4, chapter 2. Because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was now expecting a child. You ready for the Bible Gymnastics? Back to Matthew chapter 2, verse 13. The angel warns Joseph. After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother, the angel said. Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. That night, Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother. And they stayed there until Herod's death.

This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet. I called my son out of Egypt. I'm going to read one more scripture, but it's important to recognize Joseph's obedience helped fulfill once spoken prophecy. Matthew chapter 2, verse 22. And Joseph is worn in another dream. But when he had learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod's son, Achilles, he was afraid to go there then. After being worn in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophet had said. He will be called a Nazarene. We're looking at the story through Joseph's perspective. And I think it is so interesting to catch in this moment that Joseph was such a dude. He's such a guy. I mean, I'm talking, he's a guy. Look at this. The truth is, we read all this. Joseph never said anything. He didn't say one word. He was, he meant a few words. No, he didn't, you can read it through scripture, fine. Joseph never said anything. But you know what he did? He heard, and then he obeyed. He heard, and then he obeyed. The Lord said it, and then he did it. It's interesting because when we read here, Mary, when the angel shows up, Mary, you're highly favored, a lot of affirmation, because she needed to carry this and know that this was God's word as she carried the Messiah. Joseph, completely different, no affirmation. Hey, angel shows up, hey Joseph, here's what happened,

here's what's gonna happen, and here's what you're supposed to do. Go. And Joseph's like, done. Do we have that level of faith? His actions matter. Because in that culture, the father wasn't a background figure. The father was a spiritual leader in the home. The father was the protector. The father was the provider. The father was the one who brought the family to festivals and gatherings because it reinforced culturally, spiritually, who God was for them as the body of Christ, as the body of Israel. The father was the one who taught Scripture to his children, including Joseph. I think in this Christmas season, when we have all these traditions, lean into the tradition, lean into the easy of the moment. Dads, grandmas, mothers, grandmothers, family. Let's jump into the tradition of being in church. In this season, it's easy. Next week, next-gen choir, it's gonna be awesome. We're gonna celebrate the next-gen as we learn. But then Christmas Eve, invite your friends and neighbors. Lead the way. Joseph's silence, though, wasn't weakness. It was strength. He leads, not with words, but with obedience. And because his father's role was so strong, Joseph's adoption of Jesus... becomes one of the most powerful acts

in the entire Christmas story. Let's talk about that. See, what happened here is that in that world, legal fatherhood meant real fatherhood. And when we're talking about Jesus being the Messiah, this was extremely critical. He gave Jesus a place in Israel, his connection to David, it gave Jesus legitimacy, it gave Jesus an identity, it gave him protection, and it even gave Jesus an earthly formation. It's important to know that Joseph never heard you have found favor with God. Ever thought about that? Joseph didn't hear you need to do this because you have favor. He just did it because he was supposed to. Adoption in Jesus' time, the Jewish culture, meant that legal paternity was real paternity. In Judaism, the man who claimed the child was the one who named him, and by naming him, he publicly accepted that child as legally his. Why is that important? Because Jesus being named by Joseph in Matthew chapter one, verse 25, means that Jesus was legally acknowledged as from the house of David, the house of David of whom the Messiah would come. This unexpected gift of a man stepping into a role meant that Jesus could be the Messiah. Do you understand the ramifications?

If Joseph had said, you know what, I don't know if I wanna do this, this by itself, the prophecy, yes, Mary was carrying the baby, but if Joseph didn't say, I'll take him and he is mine, and I will name him, all of a sudden, all the promises are null and void. Because of adoption, lineage passed through the father's legal status. It wasn't about biology, it was about the naming, the genealogy, the legal transformation of accepting Jesus as his own. In short, Jesus' adoption created a way for identity, inheritance, legitimacy, and family continuity. Joseph's adoption made Jesus the son of David. You understand that? Jesus wouldn't have that legitimate claim. When the priest would come to charge his claim, they could say, what line are you from? You're not even from the line of David, but because Joseph was willing to step into a messy place, Jesus had the authority to speak as the Messiah. Yeah. Joseph's acceptance of Mary and Jesus protected them. By taking Mary as his wife, Joseph shielded her from shame. Again, let's look at the context of the situation. Joseph stepping in, receiving the son as his own, naming him,

protected Mary, and protected her from shame. I think it's important for us to pause, husbands. He stepped into place and protected her from shame. This provided legal legitimacy for Jesus. It also publicly was a declaration, this is my child. And to affirm that Jesus was considered Joseph's son, we get the reinforcement in Luke 4, verse 22, in John chapter 1, 45, and John chapter 6, 42, where it says, Jesus, son of Joseph. In other words, this was a moment that other people were declaring, oh, that's Jesus, that's Joseph's son. There wasn't a question, there wasn't a doubt, there wasn't a, well, is this? Matthew 13, 55, it says, the carpenter's son. They recognized that this was Jesus, the son of Joseph. Why is all this important? Because Joseph becomes a theological prototype. Because of his adoption, Joseph becomes a picture of divine calling. And as we look at this, we can reflect on ourselves. We have a divine calling. God has called us, and he knows our circumstances, he knows that our life can be messy, and he goes, that's okay, it's in that mess. I want you to deliver a message. It's a picture of chosen fatherhood. Those words are powerful, chosen fatherhood, I chose you. It's a picture of protection. It's a picture of covenant loyalty, bonds that don't.

break promises that are to be kept. It's a picture of faith-filled obedience. You know, I love the challenge that this gave me as I prepped for this message. Because you see that Joseph was a man of action. After being spoken to, he obeyed. And I had to stop for a second and ask myself, God, am I that guy? You know, there's a huge responsibility standing in this pulpit. I do not want to be the kind of person that says something to you that I'm not living out. But the truth is that as believers, we are delivering a message. So everywhere you go, you are standing on a pulpit of God's anointing, and you are representing His kingdom. And the question to ask ourselves is, wherever we preach the Word, are we living it out? Or is it just words? Joseph is giving a glaring example that we have a place in the story. We may think we're silent, unseen. Nobody talks about me. Nobody sees my call. God sees you, and He has called you, and you have a very specific purpose. And if you don't step into that purpose, something's missing. Because God needs you. We needed Mary, but we also needed Joseph. Joseph then becomes a human mirror of God. A mirror of God adopting us. God's saying, I'm going to go out of my way so I can bring you into my family. It's a mirror of receiving a new identity, because God sent His Son Jesus to be born, yes, but then to live a perfect life, dying a cross, raised from the dead, conquering death, hell, and the grave. There's no sin that can hold us now when we have Jesus in our hearts. And then, because of that, God says, I'm giving you a new name. Whatever name you label yourself, oh, I'm such a loser. I'm such a failure. He goes, no, no, no. You're my child. New name, new identity. He's a mirror of a father choosing a child, not biologically his own. I don't care about your past. I'm taking you now as my own. So what does this mean for us? I think there's four points that we can adopt from the Christmas story. Adopt? Come on, that was a perfect place for a dad joke. Okay. There's four things that we can adopt from the Christmas story from the life of Joseph. Number one is we have identity. If you have asked Jesus into your heart, you have a new name. You have a new role. You have a role in the story. Your name is in the story, and you have a part to play. Ephesians 2, 19 says this, now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

What else do we have? We have inheritance. God wants to give us something that belongs to him, and now, as a part of the family, it belongs to us. Romans 8, 16, and 17, the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children. Somebody say children. We are children of God, and if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. It also means we have legitimacy. You know, sometimes we want to step into that role where we're walking this Christian life, but we analyze our own life through our life filter. Ah, I messed that up, and I'm so inconsistent, and I didn't go to church because it was too cold this morning. It's okay. You're to process what God thinks about us through our filter, and he goes, no, I wiped all that away. You are legitimately mine, and I think Romans 8, 1, and 2 reminds us, therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who aren't Christ Jesus. There is no condemnation because through Christ, the law of the spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death. We have legitimacy in this kingdom, and we have a forever family as part of the body. It's like Jesus being adopted by Joseph, locked him in to the line of David, and now, as believers, locking us into him. We have a forever family. I hope you like the people you're sitting next to because we're going to be sitting next to them forever in heaven, so this is your forever family. Better get to like each other. Joseph, though extremely Silent in the biblical text has a profound effect in the story of Christmas. He's quiet, but deeply impactful. And I think sometimes we see ourselves from the lens of, who am I? Do I have a part in the story? God says, yes. Matter of fact, your part in the story is the part that only you can fill. And if you don't step into it, you're leaving a gap. We're about to close things up, and I want to let you know that in a moment, your location pastors at all locations, they're going to give you an opportunity here and across all four locations to accept Christ as your Savior. Because I know there are people here now that you're listening to this message and you're going, I don't even know if I believe. God is knocking on your door.

And he brought Jesus to this earth, not to celebrate Christmas presents under the tree, but to recognize that the Messiah has come. I bring this book back out because it's so valuable that my son's name is in here, so we kept this. But as neat as it is to see his name in this story, there's another book that the Word of God reminds us of. It's called the Lamb's Book of Life. And it's the book that all the saints' names are written in, that when we get to heaven, they're going to open up the book and say, there you are. Welcome to your eternal reward. But the gift of Jesus is a gift that has to be received. And if there's anybody in here that you've never accepted Christ as your Lord, say, please, no, there's a book. He's waiting to write your name, but it requires you to step into it, to respond, to say yes. And I want to give you some time to think about that, but I want to come and talk to the believers for a second. This gift represents Christ, and the empty name tag represents all those who have not chosen to walk with him yet. But there's another position I want us to recognize. It's the one that I'm standing in right now. You see, Joseph is the unexpected gift in this story. Unto us, a child is born, unto Joseph and Mary. Jesus was a gift to the world, but in that moment, Jesus needed Joseph to step into his identity, into his calling, into his promise. Past his insecurities, past the life moments, past the stigmas, past the insecurities, and to say, this is my role and my responsibility, and I'm going to do it. What about you?

As a follower of Christ, you carry the gift of Christ, but will you step into the role to deliver him as only you can do? What is the thing that God is speaking to you? What is the position you need to step into where you can say, I'm going to do, I'm going to obey, I'm going to walk in the anointing and calling God has given me? Let's pray. Father God, we thank you so much for the Christmas story. We thank you for the reminder that you sent your son, the promise of the Messiah. We thank you that you came to earth for our salvation. But I also love that the story doesn't end there, that now we get to be a part of the story, the continuation of it. So, Lord, would you speak to our hearts and our minds to get past the things that are barriers so we can step fully into the calling and the anointing that you've given us? We pray this now in Jesus' name, amen.