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Facing difficult decisions? Courage is given by God. Throughout our lives, we will encounter circumstances that require courage. Some will be easier than others. God is gracious to give us courage for the season, but He also gives us something more: He gives us Himself. There is no greater example of God s presence in our world than when He came into it as a baby. The nativity story that we focus on every Christmas illuminates the nearness of Christ. It also gives us a profound example of what it means to live with courage. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, was an ordinary guy just like you and me. Yet he displayed an extraordinary sense of courage. We will take a look at the average life of a carpenter named Joseph and his battle to stand courageously in the face of crisis and difficult decisions. Perhaps through his example, we can equip ourselves to take extraordinary steps, by faith. Christmas is about the incredible reality that God came near into our messy world of sin as a baby who knew we couldn t save ourselves. But it is also about courage. A lot of times, God uses the most unlikely individuals to teach what it looks like. Gregg Matte Gregg Matte is senior pastor of Houston s First Baptist Church. His life of ministry began as a young college student at Texas A&M University. Gathering 12 guys in his apartment for worship and Bible study, the group grew to a gathering of more than 4,000 college students meeting in the basketball stadium. Breakaway Ministries continues to this day. By God s grace, Houston s First Baptist Church has grown similarly. Gregg holds a Bachelor s degree in marketing from Texas A&M and a Master s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His books include Birds and Bees and I AM Changes Who i Am. Gregg and his wife Kelly have a son and a daughter. Learn more about Gregg at HoustonsFirst.org. BIBLE StuDIES for LIFE 135
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When you think of courage, what comes to mind? Bible StuDIES FOr LIFE 137
The POINT Don t be afraid because God is with you. The bible meets life Who among us doesn t need courage from time to time? For some of us, it takes courage simply to cope with this week of Christmas gatherings with family. For others, courage extends beyond the holidays. We hear the cries stemming from difficult home situations, work stress, or perhaps the challenges of debilitating illnesses. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, exemplified the courage it takes to deal with a difficult situation and make a tough decision. Unfortunately, we often let Joseph fall into the background of our traditional manger scene. We typically emphasize with good reason the virgin Mary, and even the magi who came from a distant land, bearing gifts. We lean in with wonder as we consider the awestruck fear of pasturing shepherds, watching over their sleeping flocks as the night sky exploded with glory and light. Most of all, we gaze into the face of our Savior the tiny babe, lying in the manger. And then Joseph perhaps leaning on his staff, is there, tucked behind the donkeys and hay. It s easy to overlook him. Joseph was a simple man of extraordinary valor. In this bewildered carpenter we see three remarkable components of courage. 138 Courage
What does the Bible say? Matthew 1:18-25; 2:19-23 (HCSB) 1:18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. 20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, don t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated God is with us. 24 When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord s angel had commanded him. He married her 25 but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus. Key Words Engaged (1:18) This term describes Jewish engagement, a binding premarital agreement lasting approximately one year, broken only by divorce. Secretly (1:19) After discovering Mary s pregnancy, Joseph decided to divorce her privately without exposing her to public shame. By the Holy Spirit (1:20) Baby Jesus did not come from natural conception but by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. 2:19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child s life are dead. 21 So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee. 23 Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene. Bible StuDIES FOr LIFE 139
THE POINT Don t be afraid because God is with you. Matthew 1:18-19 1. Courage is tested and developed in the midst of crisis. Put yourself in Joseph s place for a moment. He and Mary were not fully married and suddenly, she announced her pregnancy. Crisis hit Joseph squarely between the eyes. There was more. Mary explained she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. How can you offer a reasonable explanation for that? The crisis intensified. I can picture Joseph overwhelmed by this news and terrified about what it will mean for him and his fiancée in a culture bound by laws and tradition. Certainly this announcement would generate a tidal wave of trouble and rumors. This ordinary carpenter faced a tough decision. How should he respond? The easiest solution would be to cover the problem quietly and move on. In their culture, an engagement was as binding as a marriage. Though the expectant parents had not yet taken the vows, they were betrothed promised to each other. A broken engagement would cause as much calamity as a divorce. Joseph had to weigh his options carefully: To stand in support of Mary would surely mean public humiliation and a scarlet letter of shame for them both. To ignore her admission would be to cast a scarlet letter of disgrace on his beloved fiancée. What can we learn about Joseph in this passage? Question 2 Torn by the tension of two harsh realities, but being a righteous man who truly wanted to do the right thing, he resolved to divorce her quietly. If he could somehow manage to slip this cultural faux pas under the rug, it would mean the best for Mary s dignity. Joseph took a bold stance in his decision. He thought that divorcing Mary quietly would be the most loving action he could take in the given cultural context. 140 Courage
How can I be sure of God s direction when facing difficult decisions? Question 3 Matthew 1:20-23 2. Courage is developed in difficult decisions. Joseph made his decision, and when he fell asleep one night, after considering all these things, his plan was mapped out securely on tomorrow s Things To Do list. He would divorce Mary quietly and then everything would be OK. Joseph s eyes closed in sleep... and everything changed. In a dream, an angel visited Joseph and spoke courage into his sleeping soul: Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (vv. 20-21). Joseph suddenly faced another challenging decision. What should he do about that dream? Did it really happen? Was he crazy to think an angel gave him those specific instructions? Decisions are part of our daily lives, and they can easily get the best of us. Especially when our greatest concern is whether we should go right or left. God s concern is usually about right or wrong in our lives, not just right or left. In this passage, we clearly see God at work. He was with Joseph in showing him exactly the path he should follow. Though Joseph s decision to divorce Mary was a righteous decision according to the law, it was not the right decision. The point is this: if we will concern ourselves with what is righteous, God will lead us to what is right. The Lord takes our willingness to be led and directs us in the path according to His will. Joseph was doing the best a Jewish carpenter could do, given the circumstances. Joseph heard from the angel and responded courageously. Bible StuDIES FOr LIFE 141
THE POINT Don t be afraid because God is with you. Matthew 1:24-25; 2:19-23 3. Courage does what is right and then keeps moving forward. After making the culturally righteous decision, God led his servant Joseph to the right decision. With courage, he took action, marrying his expectant fiancée. By walking in his God-given direction marrying the virgin who was expecting a child Joseph found a solid place to set his feet and his faith. God gave him what it took to step forward as a man defined by courage. Joseph would continue to need courage. While the wise men sought out Jesus to worship Him, Herod sought out Jesus to harm him. Joseph didn t know about those plans, but God did. And God sent another messenger to give Joseph the direction he needed. The angel s directions were clear enough, but unknowns were still involved in his obedience. Their flight to Egypt had a sense of urgency to it. Perhaps Joseph wondered how long they would be there. How would he support his family? All this took courage, but still, Joseph acted. Joseph had a third dream while his family was in Egypt. The angel finally gave him the charge to come home to Israel. Surely this would be an easier direction to obey and an easier decision to make, but Joseph understandably was afraid to return to Judea. Dream three gave him the final direction to settle in Galilee. What is the relationship between courage and obedience? Question 4 142 Courage
Do you think it becomes easier to act with courageous obedience the more you do so? Explain. Question 5 By faith Joseph trusted in God s protection and deliverance from danger. Practical thinking or understandable fears could have swayed Joseph s decisions; yet, he moved forward with courageous faith. For Joseph, the path of least resistance would have been to slink back and hide in the shadows. No one would have blamed him for that. A lot was at stake, including his reputation and his pregnant fiancée s dignity. But at greater risk was his obedience. Brave faith You just accepted a job with a ministry that constructs houses for low-income families. Your family can t understand why you declined the higher paying one with the construction company. Following God s guidance will strengthen your faith by: Following God s guidance will benefit your family by: Following God s guidance will strengthen your community by: Bible StuDIES FOr LIFE 143
44 HOMELIFE DECEMBER 2012 THE POINT Don t be afraid because God is with you. Live It Out In the midst of uncertainty, Joseph stepped out with unwavering faith. Consider how your actions might also be opportunities for courage and obedience. Realize simple steps of faithfulness today lead to big steps of courage tomorrow. Take a step of faith then be ready for more steps. Make righteous decisions and trust that God will lead you to the right decision. Difficult decisions and circumstances develop courage. Put others needs ahead of your own. True courage trusts God enough to put others first, like Joseph did with Mary. Moments that call for courage are part of our everyday lives. Courage is a never-ending need, and not just for fleeting, once-in-a-lifetime moments. In the midst of uncertainty, courage calls us to keep walking. O Holy Night: Giving Christmas Back to Jesus By Jen Hatmaker When I was in sixth grade, I received two Christmas presents I distinctly remember. 1. A coveted Forenza tag on a pair of black leggings with a corresponding purple-and-black plaid shirt. 2. A red football jersey-type sweatshirt. I loved them both. Loved. Loved. Loved. Until one unfortuanate eavesdropping session. Her red sweatshirt? I found it at Wal-Mart for $3. Oh. No. She. Didn t. To continue reading O Holy Night from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles. 144 Courage
My group's prayer requests My thoughts Listen to The Glory of it All by David Crowder Band from the Winter 2013-14 playlist, available for purchase at BibleStudiesforLife.com/media/music. 145