TAKE NOTES
SUNDAY, December 18, 2022
"Certainty in Uncertain Times" by Daniel Mills
1. Joseph displayed confidence in the word of God
Matthew 1:22-23 – All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
Matthew 2:13 – 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.”
Isaiah 30:21 – Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
2. Joseph believed the power of the Spirit to do the impossible
Matthew 1:20 – 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.”
Zechariah 4:6 – So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 – And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
3. Joseph trusted and reflected the faithfulness of God
Matthew 1:21 – And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Romans 4:17-18 – That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping.
Romans 4:21 – He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
Lamentations 3:22-23 – The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.