1 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:06,520 As you and I know, this Christmas story is centered on 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:13,400 the prophetically predicted, highly anticipated, unmatched 3 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:16,880 birth miracle of humanity's saviour. 4 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,120 The entrance of Jesus Christ into the world is the pinnacle. 5 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,760 It's the point. It's the reason. 6 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:33,640 And although that is in fact unmatched moment in human 7 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:38,080 history, there are many supernatural events that 8 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,360 surround it. And I think about it, think 9 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:45,800 about all the other miracles before and after that moment. 10 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,880 As our brother said, that split time into two. 11 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,040 They think about the angelic visitation with the shepherds on 12 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:59,160 the field. They think about even Simeon at 13 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:03,520 the temple, who was led by the Holy Spirit to see the Savior as 14 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,880 a babe. What about Mary visiting 15 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:12,120 Elizabeth and her womb, leaping as a result of the Holy Spirit 16 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:16,040 moving in that womb? And there's so many other 17 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,960 instances, I'm sure, that you can recall and testify of in the 18 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:20,960 word of God. But I want to bring to our 19 00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:26,280 attention today a particular miracle that occurred with an 20 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:30,120 interesting man. This man was from the house and 21 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,280 lineage of David. This man would be chosen by God 22 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,400 to be the legal guardian and father of the Lord Jesus Christ, 23 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,520 Joseph. There isn't very much mention 24 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:48,520 about Joseph in the word of God. But with the very little that is 25 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:53,280 given to us in the record of the Bible, it's interesting how 26 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:57,000 Matthew specifically highlights his experience with the 27 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:02,160 miraculous by way of dreams. I mean, he he, he just appears 28 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,440 there in Matthew and in Luke, and shortly after he's withdrawn 29 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,280 from these accounts. But with what we have, we 30 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:13,160 noticed that God not only chosen but directed him in a very 31 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,240 profound way. Joseph did not just have one 32 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:18,840 dream. Does anybody know the total 33 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:20,160 amount of dreams that Joseph had? 34 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:21,680 You can say it out loud if you know the answer. 35 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:29,520 Not 3-4. Matthew tells us a total of four 36 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:34,520 dreams that Joseph had, and though these are unique 37 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,080 instances, though they are separate occurrences, they do 38 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:42,480 share 2 main things. All these dreams have these 39 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:48,120 commonalities. First, all these dreams were 40 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:53,840 purposed to redirect Joseph in a way so that ancient prophecy 41 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,360 would be fulfilled. And so with every section where 42 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,120 these dreams are mentioned, you will read something along the 43 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,800 lines of at the end. This was to fulfill what the 44 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,680 Lord had spoken by the prophet, or what was spoken by the 45 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,520 prophets, followed by a reference, a direct quotation to 46 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:13,840 that prophecy or general paraphrase. 47 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:20,240 But it's not just to redirect Joseph in order to be positioned 48 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,360 for prophecy to be known. The second thing that all of 49 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,160 these dreams have in common is that they were calls to 50 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:31,720 obedience. They were not merely 51 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:36,400 revelations. They were practical calls to 52 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:43,960 trust God, submit to his wishes, and to comply merely because he 53 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:48,240 is God and Joseph and also we are his servants. 54 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,400 And what's so fascinating about looking at these moments is it's 55 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,760 not just seeing God fulfill His word, words that he has spoken 56 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,080 hundreds of years before. This time, what's also so 57 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:04,600 exhilarating is seeing Joseph's unreserved and immediate 58 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:10,360 obedience to the Word of God. You know, you look at this man 59 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,000 again and you see, as I mentioned earlier, that there is 60 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,640 not much written about him. But based on what you and I will 61 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,279 hear today, you will recognize this person. 62 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,560 Whenever he learned what God desired of him, did not fail to 63 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:25,880 fulfill it. In fact, what's so interesting 64 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:30,760 about Joseph is that you don't have one recorded word that came 65 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:35,240 from in the Bible. Joseph never said one thing, not 66 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,360 that he couldn't speak, but that the Holy Spirit has never kept 67 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,640 for us any utterance that Joseph has made. 68 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:46,520 He's the silent servant. And what's so great about that 69 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,720 is his actions spoke more than anything else. 70 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,560 And so whenever an Angel did visit him in a dream and gave 71 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:57,840 him instructions, Joseph never debated, he never challenged, he 72 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:01,800 never questioned, he never doubted whatever was told to 73 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:06,000 him. He responded with obedience, 74 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:10,880 with absolute and total trust. That moves me, That moves me to 75 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,520 see a man who says so much about his character, not with what he 76 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,880 says, but what what he does. And so there are two main 77 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,560 approaches that you can take with these passages. 78 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:26,280 You and I today can examine further the prophecies that are 79 00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:31,480 connected to these four dreams. Or we can look at 4 insights 80 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:37,280 about obedience for insights about obedience from a man who 81 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:41,640 Matthew says in chapter one verse 19 was just or in another 82 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,560 translation righteous. And we will consider the latter 83 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,440 today. I'm speaking today to born again 84 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,520 believers. I'm speaking today to those who 85 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:54,360 have already responded to the Christmas message, the gospel of 86 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,160 Jesus Christ. I'm speaking to those who know 87 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,520 that everything we hear in terms of instructions or commands is 88 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:06,640 from the foundation of grace. I have been made righteous. 89 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:11,560 I have been saved by His mercy. I don't do anything to earn my 90 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,120 eternal life. I don't do anything to earn and 91 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:16,600 secure a right standing with God. 92 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,080 But from there, not only do we have that guarantee, but we have 93 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:23,600 a new set of desires. And one of those desires is I 94 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:28,360 long to please my master. I long to serve him. 95 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,960 I long to play any part in advancing his purposes on the 96 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,520 earth, and I want to encourage you today, even as we prepare to 97 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:41,960 enter into a new year, to consider 4 insights into God 98 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:47,200 pleasing obedience that will in fact advance His purpose for you 99 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:49,040 in your life and through your life. 100 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:51,960 And they are found in each of these dreams. 101 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:55,800 And so let's consider the first dream together and see what we 102 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:58,800 can learn about obedience from there. 103 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,120 Turn with me to Matthew chapter one and verse 20. 104 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:13,130 Matthew one verse 20. But as he considered these 105 00:07:13,130 --> 00:07:17,170 things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. 106 00:07:17,770 --> 00:07:19,890 Pause. This is not the Angel of the 107 00:07:19,890 --> 00:07:23,130 Lord who's the Angel of the Lord Jesus Christ. 108 00:07:23,130 --> 00:07:27,850 This is an Angel of the Lord. Behold, an Angel of the Lord 109 00:07:27,850 --> 00:07:33,250 appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, Do 110 00:07:33,250 --> 00:07:37,320 not fear to take Mary as your wife for that which is 111 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:39,520 conceived, and hers from the Holy Spirit. 112 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,680 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for 113 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:45,960 he will save his people from their sins. 114 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:50,000 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the 115 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,200 prophet. Behold, the virgin shall 116 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:55,360 conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name 117 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,720 Emmanuel. The first lesson that you and I 118 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:03,480 can gather from this initial dream is about overcoming fear 119 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:09,000 and obedience. Sometimes obeying God is scary. 120 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:13,760 It is intimidating. You can sense the cost and the 121 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:18,000 price of it before you even move in that act of obedience. 122 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,880 And we see that truth based on what the Angel says to Joseph as 123 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:27,080 he is asleep, he was told do not fear, don't fear what? 124 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:29,960 Do not fear to take Mary as your wife. 125 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:33,760 Now, why would Joseph be afraid to do that? 126 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,360 As you remember, Mary has already conceived. 127 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:40,720 There's already evidence that she's with child. 128 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:45,560 And from a human standpoint, to interpret that is a mystery. 129 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:48,840 And the most logical explanation, again from a human 130 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:52,520 standpoint is, well, if this didn't happen with your husband 131 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:56,280 and this, this is infidelity, this is unfaithfulness, this is 132 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,640 immoral. And so there's a questionable 133 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:03,360 thing concerning Mary's character here, and even Joseph 134 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:07,520 himself, as Justin, as righteous as he was, came to an 135 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:10,120 unfavorable conclusion. Because before this, we read 136 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:12,840 that he had resolved to divorce her quietly. 137 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:14,360 He didn't want to create a scandal. 138 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,880 But he also said, I can't make sense of this. 139 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,560 How can I marry somebody with this going on? 140 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,080 I'm going to go my separate ways. 141 00:09:25,680 --> 00:09:28,000 And as he pondered these things, an Angel came. 142 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:33,360 The Lord sent a messenger to halt him and to encourage him. 143 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,640 Joseph, don't fear. As you're thinking back and 144 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,840 forth about this, I want you to have confidence that you can 145 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:44,520 indeed have Mary as your wife. And then He gives a very brief 146 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:47,080 explanation why. But can you put yourself in his 147 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:49,920 shoes for a moment leading up to this? 148 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:53,760 How? How? 149 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:56,880 How can I explain the birth of this child? 150 00:09:57,080 --> 00:10:02,720 How can we explain this to people and have them even 151 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:06,560 believe it? What will happen to Mary down 152 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:09,280 the road as more and more people understand and learn of the 153 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,920 background of this child? What will become of my 154 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:19,840 reputation as I marry somebody who will be deemed by many as a 155 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:24,600 potential adulteress? Will people think that I don't 156 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,520 value character? Will people think that I was 157 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,800 somehow coerced? What's going to happen to my 158 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,240 business? Oh man, I might lose customers 159 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:37,000 because of this. And though we do not know the 160 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:43,400 essence of Joseph's fears, we know that God challenged him to 161 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,960 not allow any worry or speculation to stand in the way 162 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:52,520 of obedience. And you and I also, as we walk 163 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,080 in this life, we'll learn of God's will in a matter. 164 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,440 And when you do, you might have your heart be flooded with 165 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:03,120 theories and ideas. And speculations that might 166 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:08,080 cripple you to move forward. And like Joseph, do not expect 167 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:12,960 to have an elaborate forecast of what your step of faith will 168 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,760 bring about. Joseph didn't receive it. 169 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,760 We should not expect it ourselves, and that shouldn't be 170 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:20,840 your preoccupation or mine anyway. 171 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:23,840 The one thing that you and I should be concerned about above 172 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,880 all else, concerning whether we should obey God in a matter or 173 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:31,080 not, is this. Lord, Is this what you want, 174 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:34,000 Lord? Is this what you're asking of 175 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:35,760 me, Lord? Is this your will, Lord? 176 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,480 Is this what you will be pleased with? 177 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,840 And that is enough motivation for you and I to leap over any 178 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:47,160 hindrance that would try to keep us from doing what God's called 179 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:51,680 us to do. I may not have all the answers, 180 00:11:51,680 --> 00:11:55,040 but this one thing is clear. In this situation, in this 181 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,680 circumstance, in this predicament, God's Word has an 182 00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:00,840 answer. So I will trust in Him. 183 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,800 I will believe Him. I will rely on Him, come what 184 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:09,880 may, come what may. This is so important to 185 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:11,280 understand. There are people, perhaps in 186 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:15,240 this room right now, who are hesitant to follow Jesus Christ 187 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,040 because you're afraid. You're afraid of what your 188 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:19,800 spouse will say. You're afraid of what your 189 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:23,040 friends will say. You're afraid of the cost of 190 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,800 walking and holiness and obedience and submission to the 191 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:30,200 Word of God in this crazy culture that more and more wants 192 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:33,800 to dismiss this concept of God and objective truth. 193 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:37,560 And so you're hesitant and maybe you're a believer in this place, 194 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:40,240 and you're also hesitant to obey God and trust God. 195 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:43,920 I've met some young people also who are in a relationship that 196 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:47,680 they know they should not be in, and they are hesitant to obey 197 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:51,320 God's will. And So what did they do? 198 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,040 Well, again, like Joseph, perhaps they have crashing 199 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:56,360 thoughts. Will I ever get married? 200 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:01,400 What will happen to this person if with this history of emotion 201 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:07,240 and investment, we we we split ways and a compromising job, 202 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:10,600 compromising relationships, compromising anything. 203 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,880 So many, Even believers can feel the crippling effects of fear 204 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,640 when God's light shines on a matter that demands faith and 205 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,880 obedience. And when you and I are faced 206 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:24,760 with those moments, what do we do? 207 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:29,160 Oh, this is a treasure chest filled with encouragement for us 208 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:35,920 to face any fear, even fears, as we are on the crossroads, 209 00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:38,320 wondering if we should move forward or not. 210 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,360 Listen to these words. I just want you to listen to 211 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:44,400 them from Isaiah 4110, and I want you to hear them in light 212 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:48,880 of potential fear and walking in obedience to God's call in a 213 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:51,920 particular area in your life. Here's what the Lord says, not 214 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:54,720 just to His people, Israel, but to us today. 215 00:13:55,840 --> 00:14:06,800 Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your 216 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,640 God. I will strengthen you. 217 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:17,280 I will help you. I will uphold you with my 218 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:23,040 righteous right hand. How many more eyes can you get? 219 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:27,960 How many more promises from God's personal presence and 220 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:32,360 power do you need? As you are standing at the 221 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:34,480 threshold of wondering, should I do this? 222 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:37,640 I know God says I need to. But all these fears. 223 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:40,080 Here's what the Lord says to you. 224 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:44,640 I'll be with you. I will strengthen you. 225 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,560 I will help you. I will uphold you. 226 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,200 You have no reason to fear as long as you know that this is my 227 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:55,400 will. So Joseph teaches us that you 228 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,520 and I must learn to overcome fear and obedience, because fear 229 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:03,600 is often a foe to faith. But let's come to the second 230 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:06,200 dream together, shall we? This is not the only one. 231 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,080 We come now here to Matthew, Chapter 2, verse 13. 232 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:18,840 Matthew, chapter 2, verse 13. Now when they had departed, 233 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,240 behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 234 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:26,760 And said, rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to 235 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:31,600 Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, For Herod is about to 236 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:33,800 search for the child to destroy him. 237 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,120 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and 238 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:40,680 departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. 239 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,320 This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet 240 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,720 out of Egypt. I called my son. 241 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:53,920 So the wise men from the East have arrived. 242 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:57,400 They were supernaturally guided, another supernatural occurrence 243 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,600 connected to the story of Christmas to the child Jesus. 244 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,680 And when they came to him we were told that they worshipped 245 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,760 him, and when they worshipped him they went beyond. 246 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,600 They gave gifts to him, and then they departed back to their 247 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:13,640 land, and they were warned in the dream to avoid a certain 248 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,720 route. And once this took place, 249 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:20,680 another dream visits Joseph, and an Angel of the Lord speaks to 250 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:23,400 him with urgency. There is a warning now that it 251 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:25,200 could not afford any delay. Why? 252 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:29,040 Because now there is a campaign. A campaign to search for the 253 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:34,560 child Jesus and to destroy him. And so Joseph did not hesitate 254 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:36,400 again, a man with no words, but a man who spoke. 255 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,960 Through his actions he got up, and by night he made his way to 256 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:42,960 the South, many, many miles away from where he is now. 257 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:46,840 And the second lesson of obedience that we can draw from 258 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:52,520 this dream is this. We must learn to wait in 259 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:56,040 obedience. We must learn to be awaiting 260 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,640 people as we obey our God. And where do I get that from? 261 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:04,200 Notice the specific instruction here in the middle of verse 13. 262 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:10,400 He says, flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you. 263 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:15,839 Remain there until I tell you. If I was Joseph, I would have 264 00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:18,280 probably asked for a little bit more details. 265 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:22,440 Some general timeline would have been helpful. 266 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,000 How long, Lord? Like 3 months, six months? 267 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:27,119 Nine months? A year and a half? 268 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:29,400 How long am I to go to this foreign land? 269 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:33,160 No answer is given, no insight is provided. 270 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:40,440 A simple Trust me and wait for me until I tell you what to do 271 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,120 next. It is quite interesting if you 272 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:44,720 study the word of God from cover to cover. 273 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:49,560 How much is mentioned concerning the discipline of waiting on 274 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:53,640 God? There are clear, direct 275 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:56,440 exhortations to wait on the Lord, and there are 276 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,720 illustrations and examples like what we have before us today. 277 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,520 Waiting is not a foreign experience for the faithful. 278 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:09,480 For those who pursue obedience, you can expect delay when you 279 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:13,960 desire something for the now. And this is true for this man 280 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:17,160 and his family. What does it mean to wait on the 281 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,960 Lord? You'll read it in Psalms again. 282 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:21,920 You'll see it through narratives. 283 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:24,720 What does it mean, though? Here's what it means to wait on 284 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,200 the Lord. To wait on the Lord is to 285 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:34,200 refrain from acting in the flesh to meet your need to remain. 286 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:38,000 Not just refrain, but to remain in obedience to God in the 287 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:42,840 moment that you're in, while trustingly expecting God to come 288 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:47,760 through with your need to refrain from acting in the flesh 289 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,600 to accomplish what you want to see accomplish, to remain 290 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,320 obedient where you are in that circumstance, the capacity to 291 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:57,880 which you've been given. All the while, your heart is 292 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:02,960 trusting and waiting on God to intervene for that need that you 293 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:07,600 have to wait on. The Lord is no excuse to be 294 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:11,200 unresponsive or inactive before you receive some kind of 295 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,240 supernatural confirmation for absolutely everything in life. 296 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,840 You don't have to be like that. There are some things that God 297 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:21,760 has already made plain and obvious that doesn't require you 298 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:27,280 to wait for an answer. And so we're not to be frozen, 299 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:30,160 and we're not to be stoic, and we're not to, in the name of 300 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:34,480 spirituality, seek audible voices for every single step you 301 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,280 make in life. But to wait on the Lord, 302 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:43,200 generally speaking, is the necessity to act in faith when 303 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:47,200 you have run out of all other natural options and the only 304 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:49,800 solution you have now is for God's intervention. 305 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:54,800 I've prayed, I've talked about it, I've knocked, I've searched, 306 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:58,920 I've inquired, I've visited. I've done everything that I can 307 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:02,520 to try to move forward in this and nothing's coming through. 308 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:06,200 And when you find yourself there, what is demanded of you 309 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,560 according to the word of God? Wait on the Lord. 310 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:11,480 That's what it means to wait on God. 311 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:14,040 You've done all you can as a duty. 312 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,400 You've done all as you can with the clarity of God's Word. 313 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,480 And still no results and still no clarity and still no 314 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:23,160 direction. What do I do now? 315 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,320 Well, God's put you in a place to act in faith. 316 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,760 And that act of faith is called waiting on him to wait on the 317 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,520 Lord. But why? 318 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,120 Because you know that delay is agonizing, right? 319 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:37,200 If I were to ask you here today, who here enjoys waiting, I would 320 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,040 be shocked if even one of you were to answer. 321 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:40,560 Yeah, I think I like waiting, actually. 322 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,080 We don't. It annoys us. 323 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:50,200 And we understand here that God sometimes allows it. 324 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:52,920 Why? Why? 325 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:56,320 Why can't he do everything? Am I not a servant of his? 326 00:20:56,520 --> 00:21:01,200 Isn't time short? Why would God permit pause in my 327 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,240 life? Do you know why? 328 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,480 Because it is one of the most profound, powerful. 329 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:11,360 Listen to this faith revealing and faith developing exercises 330 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:16,880 you can endure. Faith Revealing, faith 331 00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:19,840 Developing exercises that you can endure. 332 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,960 It exposes us, doesn't it? Does it not? 333 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:25,600 It's not. Waiting reveals so much about 334 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,280 us. Where's your worship now As you 335 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:29,200 wait. Where is it? 336 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:32,000 It's high and mighty. When everything is going smooth, 337 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:34,880 no turbulence. Hallelujah. 338 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:40,120 OK, now what? No answer. 339 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:44,240 Darkness, No clarity. Where's your worship? 340 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:50,040 Now? What is testified of your trust 341 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:57,160 when there seems to be no light? Where will you go? 342 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:03,480 What will you be? There's so many examples of what 343 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,640 I'm saying to you about how waiting is a faith revealing, 344 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:11,000 faith developing exercise. And one that comes to mind is 345 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,440 when the nation of Israel at some point was threatened to be 346 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:19,840 surrounded by the Assyrians and these rumors of conspiracies and 347 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:22,840 nations coming together to bring about a siege. 348 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:27,240 Has caused them to wonder how they can prepare for this. 349 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,560 And one of the most tempting thoughts to them was let's make 350 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,720 an alliance with Egypt. Let's go to Egypt. 351 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:36,200 Now, Biblically speaking, there's nothing wrong with 352 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:37,040 Egypt. There's nothing wrong with 353 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:38,320 Egyptians. I have Egyptian friends. 354 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:41,480 I loved Egypt. OK, but it's it's a symbol in 355 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:44,240 the Bible. And the symbol of Egypt in the 356 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:51,040 Bible is of the world. And Israel was never to make an 357 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:53,760 alliance with a foreign nation, because their trust must 358 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:58,320 ultimately be in God. But they were entertaining this, 359 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,520 and they were ready to jump on this, and they were ready to do 360 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:03,160 something that God had said not to do. 361 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:05,400 Why? Because God was not providing 362 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,240 immediate answers to this potential threat. 363 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:10,440 They had to wait. And guess what? 364 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,480 Just like you and me, we don't like to wait, and they didn't 365 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,240 like to wait. So notice this. 366 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:20,200 This isn't a chapter and Isaiah chapter 30, verse 15. 367 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:22,560 You can turn there if you'd like. 368 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,280 If you want an example how waiting is a faith revealing, 369 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:29,920 faith developing exercise, Isaiah 30 verse 15 reads for 370 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:32,960 thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel. 371 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:40,200 This is so powerful. In returning, and rest you shall 372 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:46,640 be saved in quietness, and in trust shall be your strength, 373 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:51,480 and that profound. This is where he gets 374 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:56,000 heartbreaking. But you were unwilling. 375 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:59,440 Unwilling to do what? Unwilling to rest, unwilling to 376 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:04,200 remain quiet, unwilling to trust you were unwilling. 377 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:14,520 And you said, no, No, we will flee upon horses, he says. 378 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:18,560 Therefore you shall flee away, and we will ride upon swift 379 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,120 steeds. Therefore your pursuers shall be 380 00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:23,440 swift. What's going on here? 381 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:33,280 Horses was a symbol of military strength, And Israel the special 382 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,240 people of God that had a covenant with God, God had told 383 00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:39,280 Israel in the infancy of their nation. 384 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:43,200 You shall not acquire many horses because again, I don't 385 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:46,080 even want your faith and trust to be in your military might and 386 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,320 your resources. I want it to be in me. 387 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,280 And so in some sense, this is a symbol of them trusting in that 388 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:53,640 which God says, you don't have to put your trust there, put it 389 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:55,320 in me. But there's another meaning 390 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,720 according to the context. To say we will flee upon horses 391 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:04,360 is to imply we're running to Egypt, we're getting on the 392 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:09,480 fastest track, and we're making our way to make an alliance with 393 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:14,040 this people. You know what waiting does? 394 00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:19,280 It will show you where you ultimately run to and your need. 395 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:25,520 Where will you run to as you wait, as you've been seeking and 396 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,320 you have been waiting? But where will you go? 397 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,000 Will you turn to human wisdom now? 398 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:36,480 Will you turn your back from worship, worship when it really 399 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:38,880 counts and put your hand in the hand of the world? 400 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:44,600 Will you rely on the flesh? Will you be like Abraham and 401 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:48,440 birth and Ishmael, when God is prepared to give an Isaac? 402 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:53,840 Waiting reveals the quality of our faith. 403 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:59,440 Waiting is what produces the fragrance of faith that truly 404 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:03,200 blesses God and bears witness to a watching world. 405 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,680 And in this case, with this generation of Israelites, they 406 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:12,000 said no, we're not doing this. This faith thing is not 407 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,400 practical. This is not relevant to real 408 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,480 life. This is nice stories for my 409 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:20,240 children to have some moral framework. 410 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:22,640 But this can't be real. No, it is real. 411 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:26,960 So I'm going to go my own way. I tried this God thing. 412 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:28,520 It didn't really work out the way I thought. 413 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:31,000 Thank you very much. We'll go to Egypt. 414 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,920 And the Lord says, OK, flee, You're going to be pursued. 415 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:38,800 All right, Ride. Swiftly upon steeds. 416 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:40,800 Your pursuers are going to be faster than you. 417 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:44,960 Ultimate deliverance comes from God anyway, so why are you going 418 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:47,360 to run from Him? What are you going to run to? 419 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:52,720 Everything else has failed, and everything else will fail unless 420 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,000 it's done in the name and by the wisdom of our God. 421 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,240 What do I do then, when I have again exhausted every option? 422 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:01,960 I've done all that it can, practically, and yet nothing is 423 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,520 coming through. Psalm 37, verse 7. 424 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:08,600 Be still. Before the Lord and wait 425 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:13,120 patiently for him. Be stilled before the Lord and 426 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:18,120 wait patiently for him. Perhaps even now, today you are 427 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:21,720 waiting on God for something, and that could be anything. 428 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:26,280 It could even include deliverance from enemies where 429 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:30,280 you are so tempted to act in the flesh to respond carnally. 430 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:34,920 And the Word of the Lord says, wait for me, Vengeance is mine, 431 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,560 whatever the case may be. Can I can Ioffer some 432 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:40,680 encouragement to you to strengthen you in your waiting 433 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:45,120 as you obey God? It's very simple, very simple 434 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:47,800 thing that you can do. Reflect on what He's done before 435 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:50,880 and where you are today, and if you're honest, to see his 436 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:53,040 faithfulness, you can trust them for tomorrow. 437 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:56,600 Where are you today? I know you're concerned about 438 00:27:56,600 --> 00:27:58,400 tomorrow. I know you're not certain for 439 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:01,080 what's to come, but look at where you're at today. 440 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:05,320 Has he not been faithful to you? Has he not been perfect in his 441 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:07,720 provision for you? Do you realize what's on your 442 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:09,040 back? Do you realize what's before 443 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:10,320 you? Do you realize what's around 444 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:11,880 you? Do you realize his goodness even 445 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:15,360 now? And if you can sober up and see 446 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:18,360 it, then you will have a little bit more strength to wait on the 447 00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:22,920 Lord a little bit longer. Consider in Joseph's case. 448 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:25,080 You know, sometimes we read these stories and we kind of see 449 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,480 it like a movie. We just see these random cut 450 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:29,440 scenes and we don't consider the transition. 451 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:31,720 We don't consider the implications of some of these 452 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:35,160 things. Joseph, get up and go to Egypt. 453 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,200 You know what that requires? That requires time. 454 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:42,480 That requires effort. You have a wife with a newborn. 455 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:47,200 That requires expenses. That requires a shift in life 456 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:49,960 altogether, moving to another country. 457 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:52,520 OK, what's going to happen to my business? 458 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,280 I'm a Carpenter. What's going to happen here? 459 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,040 What's going to happen to the livelihood of my family? 460 00:28:58,080 --> 00:28:59,160 How am I going to provide for them? 461 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:00,320 What are we going to do for lodging? 462 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:03,440 How am I going to be able to adapt to this new culture, this 463 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:06,280 new place? We got to think about this when 464 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:08,680 we read things like, oh, that's nice, Joseph obeyed God. 465 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:12,800 No, think about the cost. Think about the reality of the 466 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:18,440 implications of it. And yet, in this very same 467 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:22,440 story, you realize that God has already prepared everything that 468 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,440 Joseph needed. God was faithful to him up to 469 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:29,320 this point from the first dream, and God is preparing him for the 470 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,000 next set of commands that he is ready to give. 471 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:31,880 You're saying? What do I mean? 472 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:35,200 Yeah. Consider again the expenses, the 473 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:39,880 grueling travel, the unknown of how you're going to live in a 474 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:41,760 place where you don't know how long you're going to stay. 475 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:44,600 What happened right before this? The wise men came. 476 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:47,360 And when the wise men came, they not only worship, but they gave 477 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:50,720 what gifts. What were one of those gifts? 478 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,960 Gold. Coincidence. 479 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:58,040 No, no, no, no. No Sweet Providence. 480 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:03,320 So even through that, Joseph would have exactly what he 481 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:07,160 needed to have in order to take flight in the night and be taken 482 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:13,680 care of perfectly. Consider how God has taken care 483 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:17,280 of you up to this point. Consider how day by day, He's 484 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:19,520 meeting your needs. Maybe not your wants, but your 485 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:22,040 needs. And this is what we see with 486 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,200 Joseph. If you're concerned about God's 487 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:27,880 leading for tomorrow, remember how He has LED you until today. 488 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:36,360 We have to learn how to wait as we obey and we come to the third 489 00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:39,280 dream. And Matthew 2 verse 19. 490 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:48,640 But when Herod died, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in a 491 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:55,560 dream to Joseph in Egypt. Saying, Rise, take the child and 492 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:59,200 his mother and go to the land of Israel, For those who sought the 493 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:03,800 child's life are dead. And he rose and took the child 494 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:06,320 and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 495 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:11,080 When coupling the third dream as we just read with the second 496 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:13,600 dream together, the impression that you and I should have is 497 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,560 that God's commands, no matter how challenging. 498 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,760 No matter how demanding or inconvenient they may be, are 499 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:23,200 always for our good. Here's the third truth about 500 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:26,320 obedience. Not only must we overcome fear 501 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:29,160 and obedience, not only must we learn to wait in obedience, but 502 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:34,200 thirdly, we must believe that God designed His commands for 503 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:38,160 our good. What's so interesting about this 504 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:40,760 here is that the Angel in the second dream, when he told him 505 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:44,200 to leave Israel to go to Egypt, did not tell him you're going to 506 00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:46,400 go. And then once Herod dies and his 507 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:50,120 goons, then I'll bring you back. Go, remain there until I tell 508 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:53,560 you. And it is here in the third 509 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:56,800 dream where Joseph is told they're long gone. 510 00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:00,480 Now you can head back. It's safe for you now. 511 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:02,800 What if? What if Joseph had not been 512 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:06,120 patient? What if Joseph in his own mind, 513 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:09,480 maybe in his discomfort, maybe in his calculation of the 514 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:14,040 environment, of reports that he has heard about Herod, You know, 515 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:16,240 things have maybe subsided. It's been quite a while, and I 516 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,360 think it's safe to go back. That would have been a fatal 517 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:21,120 mistake. A fatal mistake. 518 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:28,880 Complete obedience to the Lord is not only necessary, it always 519 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:33,040 pays off. It always You can never go wrong 520 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:36,080 trusting Jesus. You can never go wrong trusting 521 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:38,320 on the Lord. This is a universal promise. 522 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:42,080 From this practical illustration and the instructions that Joseph 523 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:46,800 received here, at this point, we're no doubt challenging. 524 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:50,080 But everything that the Lord had given him was profitable. 525 00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:52,320 He didn't fail with the first two dreams. 526 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,400 He's not going to fail with the third instruction. 527 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,680 It is always profitable to go with God's way. 528 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:03,400 Always, no matter what it asks of you in the natural, you can 529 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:06,000 guarantee this. My God is good. 530 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,480 His intentions are good. Yes, ultimately for His glory do 531 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:12,120 I obey. But I also know that for my good 532 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:19,480 he is leading me this way. Compare the command here with 533 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:21,760 the second command, because if you put them side by side, they 534 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:24,320 almost are identical except for the location, right? 535 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:26,760 But there is one other slight difference. 536 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,120 So let's read again the 2nd instruction from the second 537 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:34,480 dream in chapter 2, verse 13. Now when they had departed, 538 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:38,160 behold an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream 539 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:43,400 and said pay attention, rise, take the child and his mother 540 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:47,240 and flee to Egypt. Keep that in mind. 541 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:51,800 Now you come down to verse 20 and you see the third dream with 542 00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:55,680 the third instruction. But when Herod died, behold an 543 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:59,560 Angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying 544 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:04,520 rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of 545 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:07,160 Israel. What's the difference? 546 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:13,600 The first time he said flee, flee to Egypt and after 547 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:16,000 remaining in Egypt and he was ready to head back to his 548 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:19,280 hometown. The Angel says go, go to the 549 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:22,360 land of Israel. The word flee in the second 550 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:26,199 dream is the same word that Jesus uses in Matthew 1023, what 551 00:34:26,199 --> 00:34:29,520 he instructs his disciples. When you experience persecution 552 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:35,400 in one city, flee to another. It denotes the escape of danger 553 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:38,560 and threats. It denotes seeking and fleeing 554 00:34:38,639 --> 00:34:43,560 for refuge from potential problems and powers that be 555 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:46,880 against you. But the word go here doesn't 556 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:51,199 have that urgency. It's not that he could delay, 557 00:34:51,199 --> 00:34:55,679 but it is a different pace. And this may seem like a simple 558 00:34:55,679 --> 00:34:57,520 observation, but it shows me something about God's 559 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:01,000 instructions for us, the ones that we even find in His word 560 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:04,280 primarily, You know, His commands are not arbitrary. 561 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:06,840 His commands are not void of purpose. 562 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:08,280 You have to hear this very carefully. 563 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:11,920 They are intentional. They are calculated. 564 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:18,480 Behind every decree is a perfect perception, is a richness of 565 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:22,720 wisdom and a understanding that is worth trusting. 566 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:27,000 When God tells us things, they're not just random 567 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,680 instructions that have no heartbeat behind it, that have 568 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:36,600 no wisdom behind it. He knows exactly what he is 569 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:40,600 asking of us, and though you may not know the depth of the reward 570 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:45,200 behind that obedience, you can trust that God has good in mind. 571 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:49,200 How much more is this needed in a time where the commands of 572 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:52,480 this book are being challenged by our culture and Christians 573 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:56,360 are caving in feeling like we need to, we need to adapt. 574 00:35:56,720 --> 00:35:59,320 Because these things don't seem to be relevant, these things to 575 00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:02,920 be, this seems to be ancient and barbaric and far off, we've 576 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:08,080 developed, developed into what, may I add, developed into what. 577 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:12,440 So in those moments where we look at God's commands, we say, 578 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:14,520 I know it's true. You can go beyond it just being 579 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:15,600 true. It's good. 580 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:18,520 Totally. It's perfect. 581 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:23,400 He loves us and when he commands us, it's for us to know his love 582 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:24,720 and his perfect. Plan. 583 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:27,480 And this is what Joseph experienced. 584 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:31,880 And we see that you and I also can look at every command it 585 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:36,800 gives us and believe that they are designed for our pleasure. 586 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:39,600 Yes, holy pleasure and His glory. 587 00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:41,480 Let's come to the last dream together. 588 00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:47,600 The last dream provides our last insight among many insights that 589 00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:51,080 you can pull from these things. Look at Matthew 2, verse 22 and 590 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:55,800 23. But when he heard that Archelaus 591 00:36:55,800 --> 00:37:00,120 was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was 592 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,080 afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream he 593 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:06,240 withdrew to the district of Galilee. 594 00:37:07,240 --> 00:37:11,080 And he went, and he lived and lived in a city called Nazareth, 595 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:14,200 so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, 596 00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:17,400 that he would be called a Nazarene. 597 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:24,120 I make this point here as a concluding observation to 598 00:37:24,120 --> 00:37:26,880 Joseph's overall experience. Here it is. 599 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:30,000 The 4th insight concerning obedience is that we must never 600 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:34,360 forget that a life of obedience is intensely practical, 601 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:40,920 intensely realistic. You know, you might look at 602 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:44,840 Joseph's experience here with these dreams and think to 603 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:47,360 yourself, what a privileged man. I mean, not only did he have 604 00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:49,080 dreams, but there was no need for interpretation. 605 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:52,320 It wasn't ambiguous. It was as clear as day. 606 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:54,120 This is what you do. And go do it. 607 00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:56,680 All right, great. There is no denying that it was 608 00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:57,960 of God. It was there. 609 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:01,240 This is not a debate of whether or not this is what you ate last 610 00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:02,960 night or if this is really from God. 611 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:04,960 It was from God. And there was no question about 612 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:10,120 it, Clear and direct. And some people would say, oh, I 613 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:11,640 would like that kind of guidance in life. 614 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:14,920 Who wouldn't? Imagine God being able to tell 615 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:15,640 you. Marry her. 616 00:38:15,720 --> 00:38:18,040 OK, Thank you. Move here. 617 00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:20,000 Thank you. OK, time to move on. 618 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:22,040 Thank you. People dream about this stuff. 619 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:24,600 And you have genuine Christians who are wondering, how can I 620 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:27,360 have that kind of direction in my life? 621 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:31,280 We would all want that every step of the way to get God's 622 00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:33,880 perfect leadership on it and for it. 623 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:37,240 So why does Joseph get to have it and not me? 624 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:39,120 Well, there's a difference between you and Joseph. 625 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:42,880 Joseph was called to supervise the Son of God. 626 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:46,880 I know Jesus is in your heart. It's not the same thing. 627 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:49,960 I know you're a child of God, but it's not the same thing. 628 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:55,480 To take care of and watch over the Incarnate Son of God, you 629 00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:57,520 would think, requires a little bit more special attention, 630 00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:00,680 right? That is true. 631 00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:04,960 And without dismissing the unique things that Joseph 632 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:08,280 experienced, I would actually look at it in a different way. 633 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:11,880 You're saying In what way? Well, if we are dealing with 634 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:18,600 God's compass and God's GPS for Joseph and primarily his son, 635 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:21,280 you would think that there would be more miracles. 636 00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:25,120 You would think that there would be more divine interventions. 637 00:39:25,720 --> 00:39:27,360 You think that there would be more demonstrations of 638 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:28,720 supernatural power, Wouldn't you? 639 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:31,360 Wouldn't you? What are you? 640 00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:32,880 Saying. What do you mean, Preacher? 641 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,080 Here's what I mean. So Herod wants to kill the Son 642 00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:36,440 of God, the savior of the world, right? 643 00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:41,960 Kill him? Why call this family with 644 00:39:41,960 --> 00:39:46,680 limited resources, with looming danger to get up and and go to a 645 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:48,520 different country? Can you just deal with the 646 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:49,720 problem right there? Right then? 647 00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:52,520 Yes, he could have. OK, never mind dealing with 648 00:39:52,720 --> 00:39:55,600 Herod. Why the travel? 649 00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:58,760 Even we read in Acts chapter 8 that Philip, after baptizing the 650 00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:01,840 eunuch, was what he was taken up by the Spirit of Lord and 651 00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:03,400 brought to a completely different location. 652 00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:05,080 Couldn't he have done the same for this family? 653 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:06,880 All right, you need to get to Egypt. 654 00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:08,840 There you are. OK, You need to go back. 655 00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:12,200 There you are. Why the packing? 656 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:16,600 Why the uncertainty? Why not the preparation to that? 657 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:18,120 Family and friends know we're not going to be here. 658 00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:19,640 We don't know how long. None of that. 659 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:23,800 Why? Well, it says something about 660 00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:29,440 God and how he leads the faithful and how he guides the 661 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:32,640 obedient. If Joseph's journey in many ways 662 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:36,080 included ordinary means to fulfill God's will, why should 663 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:40,760 we doubt God's leadership in our lives as he uses similar 664 00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:45,960 procedures? There can be no doubt that there 665 00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:47,840 are moments where God can do a miracle. 666 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:50,320 But consider the miraculous in Joseph's life. 667 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:53,400 Here's a miracle, Here's another miracle, Here's another miracle. 668 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:58,800 But what's going on in between practical, real life, day-to-day 669 00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:07,760 decisions and you and I have to understand that's how God often, 670 00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:11,920 moreover, more often, leads us in our day-to-day. 671 00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:15,080 And I think about all the hopes and dreams that we even have as 672 00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:19,040 a church, as we are seeking His provision, as we are looking to 673 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:23,840 transition. We should not limit God in 674 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:26,720 guiding us in the way we think He should, in the miraculous, in 675 00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:31,560 the fascinating and the story gripping ways that we would like 676 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:32,480 him. He can do that. 677 00:41:32,480 --> 00:41:34,000 He's able to. We have no doubt that he can. 678 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:36,600 But what if he does it through natural means? 679 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:40,160 What if he does it through obvious ways? 680 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:42,160 Is it any less God? It's not. 681 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:45,760 You see it here? He treats. 682 00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:52,520 Even one of the most obedient servants in the word of God, So 683 00:41:52,520 --> 00:41:53,920 we should expect the same for ourselves. 684 00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:57,440 Don't be discouraged. I want to see God's fingerprints 685 00:41:57,440 --> 00:41:58,520 of my life. Praise God. 686 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:01,360 I want to see it too, but just look a little closer. 687 00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:06,920 Remove the filter of the miraculous and and see it 688 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:08,920 through the word of God and understand how God works with 689 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:13,960 His people. We must overcome fear and 690 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:15,920 obedience. We must learn to await in 691 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:18,000 obedience. We must believe that God's 692 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:19,440 commands are designed for our good. 693 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:22,440 And we must understand that the life of obedience is intensely 694 00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:27,040 practical, intensely practical. I hope that encourages the 695 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:29,080 believer in this place as you seek to obey God. 696 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:32,080 But I want to speak to the person here today who is hearing 697 00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:34,200 about Jesus for the first time or the 100th time. 698 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:39,320 But you don't know him. I'm afraid that you can leave a 699 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:41,600 place like this and think that Christianity is all about 700 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:47,480 obeying. Christianity is about obeying, 701 00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:51,920 but with a different motivation that you might think We're not 702 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:54,160 about a bunch of righteous people who have gathered here 703 00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:56,680 today to figure out how we can be more righteous so that we can 704 00:42:56,680 --> 00:43:00,440 have better rewards. Now every single person here who 705 00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:03,600 truly follows Jesus Christ and believes in him understands that 706 00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:08,720 they are far from righteous. And they've come to the place 707 00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:10,880 where they realize that no obedience, no matter how 708 00:43:10,880 --> 00:43:15,240 extravagant or consistent or pure it might be, can ever, 709 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:19,880 ever, ever satisfy God's holy, righteous demands. 710 00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:24,080 And So what? What are we about then? 711 00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:30,120 Well, we're about understanding that in our failure to be holy 712 00:43:30,560 --> 00:43:34,640 and to be righteous before God, God in His love sends his Son 713 00:43:34,640 --> 00:43:40,000 Jesus Christ to live a life of perfection and then to die a 714 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:42,560 death that he did not deserve but that we deserve. 715 00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:48,840 So that by understanding that we would also see that he did this 716 00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:51,440 for us. You saying what do you mean for 717 00:43:51,440 --> 00:43:52,640 us? Well think about it. 718 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:57,840 In your lack of perfection, he has supplied your perfection so 719 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:01,560 that through his life of perfect obedience, if you believe in him 720 00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:06,080 and trust that his life is in fact a perfect life, then the 721 00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:09,040 righteousness he has now becomes yours. 722 00:44:09,160 --> 00:44:12,040 Think of it as a transfer of funds. 723 00:44:12,360 --> 00:44:15,760 You are bankrupt. He is rich in righteousness and 724 00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:18,520 mercy. And when you just claim that you 725 00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:22,840 indeed are bankrupt and you need to pay off this debt called sin, 726 00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:25,200 he's willing to give you the funds necessary. 727 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:29,880 And more than that, he dies of death that you and I deserve. 728 00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:33,080 He takes the punishment right 'cause he's a righteous judge. 729 00:44:33,080 --> 00:44:35,640 He doesn't just sweep crime underneath the carpet. 730 00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:39,120 He doesn't just let things go. He has to deal with it as a as a 731 00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:41,640 just judge would. And he takes that punishment 732 00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:46,320 even upon himself so that now your death and the crimes that 733 00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:49,080 you've committed, the the breaking of all the laws of God 734 00:44:49,280 --> 00:44:54,960 have been satisfied, have been taken care of in the person of 735 00:44:55,040 --> 00:44:57,400 Jesus Christ. So let me simplify it. 736 00:44:59,320 --> 00:45:04,080 What is Christianity all about? It's about humbling yourself and 737 00:45:04,080 --> 00:45:08,440 realizing that you need a savior and believing that this savior 738 00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:12,840 will give you his perfection. He will take your debt. 739 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:17,640 He paid for it on the cross. And you now, upon confessing 740 00:45:17,640 --> 00:45:20,880 your sin, repenting of it and saying yes to the Lord Jesus 741 00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:25,760 Christ will indeed be guaranteed righteousness, eternal life and 742 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:27,880 life even now. That's the truth. 743 00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:32,000 So everything you just heard in the past 50 minutes, Yeah, I 744 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:35,360 know it's been 50 minutes. Everything that you just heard 745 00:45:35,360 --> 00:45:38,480 about obedience and what it means to obey is from the place 746 00:45:38,480 --> 00:45:41,680 of being accepted by God in Christ Jesus. 747 00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:44,560 That's what it's from, and that's what it's about. 748 00:45:45,080 --> 00:45:48,680 So we're not here trying to grope our way and seek for God's 749 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:50,360 approval. We've been approved by Christ 750 00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:53,400 and in Christ now we are clothing his righteousness. 751 00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:56,960 So God the Father looks upon you and he sees the perfection of 752 00:45:56,960 --> 00:45:59,760 his Son. This is the gospel. 753 00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:06,880 So I'm afraid. I don't want there to be any 754 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:08,720 mistranslation or misunderstanding from this 755 00:46:08,720 --> 00:46:10,400 sermon. I may never see you again. 756 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:11,600 I hope so. I can see you. 757 00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:13,360 I'd love to see you again. More important, like to see you 758 00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:18,160 in heaven. Time is running short. 759 00:46:19,360 --> 00:46:20,800 Look, even the unbelieving or thing. 760 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:23,120 Judgment day is coming, man. It's getting really bad out 761 00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:26,160 here. They believe that more than some 762 00:46:26,160 --> 00:46:28,280 Christians do. Some Christians are in La La 763 00:46:28,280 --> 00:46:31,600 land. So destructed, distracted by the 764 00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:35,360 world and sin. Praise God, not in this place. 765 00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:38,040 I hope we understand the seriousness of the hour. 766 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:40,680 We understand that this is about life and death. 767 00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:41,960 We understand this is about heaven and hell. 768 00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:44,800 We understand that this life, this world is temporal. 769 00:46:44,800 --> 00:46:47,200 And there's something more real after this. 770 00:46:47,200 --> 00:46:49,920 Your heart knows it. Your soul knows it. 771 00:46:50,720 --> 00:46:52,480 Eternity has been written on our hearts. 772 00:46:52,480 --> 00:46:55,240 You know it in your heart. You didn't just come out of goo 773 00:46:55,240 --> 00:47:01,800 coming together in a collision. You're not just the result of 774 00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:05,280 some accident. There's purpose behind your 775 00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:08,960 existence. There's reason for who you are 776 00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:12,360 in that instinct, instinct, that you realize there's something 777 00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:15,720 more than this. That is God's code on your soul. 778 00:47:16,240 --> 00:47:19,560 That's in your DNA. It's because you were created to 779 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:21,880 know him and be with him. But there's something that's 780 00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:23,480 separating you from him. That's sin. 781 00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:28,160 And praise God, 2000 years ago he dealt with it and you can 782 00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:30,040 deal with it once and for all today if you just humble 783 00:47:30,040 --> 00:47:32,480 yourself before the cross and say I've been arrogant. 784 00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:37,240 I've been willing to deny you and suppress this truth because 785 00:47:37,240 --> 00:47:40,040 I want my way. I want to be the God of my life. 786 00:47:40,440 --> 00:47:43,760 I don't want somebody in the sky to tell me what to do. 787 00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:44,920 Well, how's that working out for you? 788 00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:53,760 Jesus says I've come that they might have life and have it more 789 00:47:53,760 --> 00:47:58,040 abundantly. And you can know that life. 790 00:47:58,840 --> 00:48:00,960 You can know the peace of forgiveness. 791 00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:05,720 You can know the joy of wholeness, because you will find 792 00:48:05,720 --> 00:48:09,320 your purpose in him alone. And you will have not just 793 00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:11,040 eternal life. You have a relationship with 794 00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:13,280 this God who has indeed saved us. 795 00:48:13,880 --> 00:48:16,400 I want that for you. I want that for you. 796 00:48:17,440 --> 00:48:18,960 Silver and gold. I have not. 797 00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:22,640 I don't. And whether I see you in this 798 00:48:22,640 --> 00:48:25,280 place again, that's between you and God. 799 00:48:26,720 --> 00:48:28,800 But what I want you to have more than anything else is the 800 00:48:28,800 --> 00:48:31,640 assurance that you have Christ. That's it. 801 00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:34,440 So you might be wondering today, this is a little bit more 802 00:48:34,440 --> 00:48:38,280 intense of a Christmas service that I'm used to. 803 00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:43,520 So be it. 1 Preacher said I preach as a dying man, unto 804 00:48:43,520 --> 00:48:47,680 dying men. And so I believe this truth. 805 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:51,000 This church believes this truth. And we want you to know this 806 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:52,720 truth. That's all this is. 807 00:48:53,320 --> 00:48:55,800 Would you say yes to him? Lord, we thank you. 808 00:48:57,480 --> 00:49:03,160 We thank you. We thank you that in the word of 809 00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:07,400 God we have wisdom for salvation, but you also have 810 00:49:07,400 --> 00:49:09,720 wisdom for those who have received salvation. 811 00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:13,280 Thank you then the story of Joseph. 812 00:49:13,280 --> 00:49:17,480 You've given us a wonderful example of the kind of obedience 813 00:49:17,480 --> 00:49:20,960 that you look for from a just and righteous man. 814 00:49:20,960 --> 00:49:26,080 According to Matthew, help us as believers with the greatest 815 00:49:26,080 --> 00:49:30,200 motivation and grace to be able to excel and a life that's 816 00:49:30,200 --> 00:49:33,560 consecrated unto you. And when we feel the cost of 817 00:49:33,560 --> 00:49:35,240 conformity, may we not be afraid. 818 00:49:35,840 --> 00:49:41,160 And when we feel the drudgery of waiting, may we trust in you and 819 00:49:41,160 --> 00:49:42,560 Lord. When we doubt your goodness and 820 00:49:42,560 --> 00:49:45,160 your leading and commands over our lives, may we see the good 821 00:49:45,160 --> 00:49:48,400 in it, and Lord. And when we think that perhaps 822 00:49:48,400 --> 00:49:50,800 you're not really writing the story of our lives, may we know 823 00:49:50,800 --> 00:49:52,560 that you are intensely practical. 824 00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:55,000 You can do miracles, and we want to see it. 825 00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:57,000 But Lord, you are intensely practical. 826 00:49:58,200 --> 00:50:01,080 Lord, help us this week to no rest. 827 00:50:01,920 --> 00:50:05,400 Rest in you. Prepare us for a new year. 828 00:50:06,400 --> 00:50:08,360 And if it's your will for us to have a new year that we would 829 00:50:08,360 --> 00:50:11,960 live that near With a greater delight and zeal for your name, 830 00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:15,920 we worship you. Now in closing with Thanksgiving 831 00:50:15,920 --> 00:50:18,360 in Jesus name, Amen. Amen. 832 00:50:18,920 --> 00:50:20,880 Hey church, can we stand? Let's worship. 833 00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:22,520 This is the reason for the season. 834 00:50:22,920 --> 00:50:25,560 It's about Christ. It's about his love for us. 835 00:50:25,560 --> 00:50:30,200 It's about him being our gift for all eternity.