And can I be honest, I am pumped. But it wasn't the case on Monday morning. A little side story. Monday morning, I get a text from Pastor Vic, our leadership pastor, saying, heads up, Pastor Chad is going to call you.
No contacts, nothing else. If you know anything about the church, when your lead pastor wants to talk to you, you're not thinking, oh, this is going to be great. You're thinking, I'm about to get fired.
What did I say? What email did he receive? And he calls me up. He's like, hey, bud, can you do me a favor?
I was like, yes, as long as I didn't hear you are fired, I would do anything. He goes, can you preach this Sunday? I'm like, this Sunday?
Okay, I will. He's taking some break right now because he's about to have four services for Christmas. Man, and you want to join us this Christmas for all the four services if you can. Join all of them. But you got to reserve, though.
Reserve. And bring someone, right? But anyways, I am so pumped to bring the word, and my mother is in town.
She came from Miami. She almost missed her flight, not because of her, because of spirit. God bless. The only spirit you should be catching is the Holy Spirit, let me tell you. Don't take spirit.
Don't take it. But with that being said, let us stand up to honor the word of God. Who's excited to go into the word of God? Amen and amen. I'm going to ask for two things. Two things.
My youth already know what I'm about to ask. Number one, take notes, because you won't know what God spoke to you unless you write down what God spoke to you. Number two, I want you to lean into this message.
Stay engaged. If you got to say amen, say amen. If you got to say ouch, say ouch. If you got to stand up and say, that word was for me. Stand up. If you got to say, ooh, that word was for her.
She needed that. It is all allowed. But with that being said, we're going to be in the gospel according to Matthew, and we're going to be in the verse in chapter 1, verse 18, and it's the Christmas story. Now look what the word of God says.
Say it again. Jesus. He will save his people from their sin. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has spoken by the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name. All my Sunday school alumni, Immanuel, which means God with us. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
He took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son, and he called his name, Jesus. Before we take a seat, I want to pray first, but I want to speak to you on this subject of obedience, using this as a title, defining moments. I want you to look at your neighbor, the one you like the most. Look at your neighbor, I'm seeing you, and tell them, today I choose to obey. Come on, come on, come on.
I'm seeing you. Say, today I choose to obey. Now look at your other neighbor, your second option, the one you totally neglected, and tell them you need to obey today.
And hopefully that wasn't your wife. We're going to need God's prayer for this one. Let us go into God. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for bringing us here at your church, the best place to be, Father. Father, we're in the Christmas season, and let us not forget what the real reason of the season is all about, Father. As the busyness of Christmas just hits us, Father, let us be in tune into the real message, which is Christ, Father. I pray that this message may land on good soil and bear much fruit, Father. Father, may someone today receive this message and go from eternal death to eternal life. In all of this we say and we glorify the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus.
And all of God's people say, Amen. You may take a seat. You may take a seat.
Cross assembly. One thing about me, I love sports. Who loves sports here? Raise your hand. Okay. Keep your hands up.
Wave it up like you just don't care. Okay. If you don't like sports, I get it. But there's a special place in heaven for y'all.
It's called not getting in. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
Don't send that email to Pastor Tappe please. But I love playing sports. I love all the things about sports. I love following certain teams. I love watching it.
I love attending it. And most definitely, I love playing sports. You see, all of my life I have played sports from baseball to basketball, obviously. And now here and there I get to play pickleball. If you go to the youth side, we actually set up a net and we play pickleball. Yeah.
Come join us. Anyways, we're back to the story. See, I love sports. And in sports, there are these defining moments, these moments that change the course of the game, someone's life or someone's legacy. In sports, there are these countless of amounts of these defining moments. Think about Michael Jordan in 1982 when he shot that winning bucket for the NCAA tournament and he won the game. That moment was foretelling the legend he would be. How about Tom Brady when he stepped into becoming the quarterback, the backup quarterback for the Patriots, later becoming one of the best that has ever played the game.
Or how about Messi in the 2005 World Cup when he scored his first goal wearing the Argentina jersey, showing everyone his talent and later on becoming one of the greatest that has ever stepped into the field. Now, I was talking about sports and I moved from Miami and now I got to follow a North Carolina team, obviously. And I hear North Carolina is a full college town team. So I'm going to do a survey to see what team I follow this year. Maybe I will.
Maybe I won't. Show of hands, who is a Wolfpack NC State in the building? Okay, you can put your hands down.
You know something about the Bible saying wolves and sheeps? I don't know if I can follow them. I don't know. I don't.
Maybe. Show of hands, who loves or who's a fan of Duke Blue Devils? Come on.
A little less. Listen, don't get disappointed. Anything that has the word devil, I just can't follow it. I just can't. I just can't. Let's see who is UNC Tar Heel. Oh, my goodness. That blew. I already started trouble in church today. I'm looking at the Wolfpack, looking at the Tar Heel fans with a nasty face.
And let me tell you, you got to love thy neighbor as Christ has loved you. But these defining moments, man, they change everything. For me, the most defining moment in my life didn't come in the field or at a game, but rather it was personal. See, back in 2020, when the pandemic hit or the plandemic, whatever you want to call it.
Yeah. See, when everything was uncertain. I was in the medical field. I was on my way to becoming a doctor and I was in the hospital. I got sick.
My family got sick as well. And a few days later, my father couldn't bear much and he passed away. A moment in my life, a defining moment, one of the hardest trial I have ever been in.
A defining moment that not only shaped the way that I saw my faith, but also my family and my purpose. See, in that moment, I had to answer some of these questions like, what do I believe in? Do I truly trust in God, the God of my parents? Do I trust in this God who I went into prayer, asked for healing because I believe in signs, miracles and wonders? And yet I went into prayer and asked for healing and he didn't answer my prayer. Do I believe in this God?
Do I put my trust in him? Questions like, what does God want for my suffering in the midst of all confusion? These defining moments in life, this one in particular, was shaping the way of my faith. And letting me know and teaching me that I must lean into God no matter if it doesn't make sense. I need to lean on God even though the path isn't clear.
I need to lean onto God. See, as we unwrap the Christmas story, we notice that it too has defining moments. Because Christmas, yes, is all about joy, celebration, peace, happiness, but also is about faith and obedience. In particular, to Joseph's story. See, many people talk about Mary's side of the story. You'll hear a bunch of sermons this week about Mary's side of her story, about her obedience. There's many movies about Mary.
There's songs about Mary. Mary, did you know? But no one cared to ask Joseph, did you know? And he was involved in the Christmas story.
He was involved. See, we don't know much about Joseph. All that we know is that he is the adopted father of Jesus Christ. That he is a carpenter. That he comes from the lineage of David, King David.
And many theologians say that he passed away before Jesus' public ministry because he is no longer mentioned in the gospel. And we might not know much, but we do know this, that his silence, obedience to God was a defining moment. That not only changed his life, but also changed the course of humanity. Because when he was faced with extreme challenges, he chose faith over fear, obedience over convenience. When we take a look at Joseph's obedience, it teaches us that in our life, when we need to make a decision in critical times, that we have a choice to make. We could choose to be angry at God, or we could choose to obey. See, here's the main idea for today. Write this down. Obedience to God in defining moments shapes our destiny.
Again, I'm going to repeat it. Obedience to God in defining moments shapes our destiny. So we're going to take a look at three defining moments in Joseph's life where he chose obedience against all odds. And in doing so, God put him in his story and not history. So we're going to take a look at the first defining moment. Obedience in the unexpected.
Obedience in the unexpected. Look at Matthew 1, verse 24, it says, When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son, and he called his name Jesus.
It doesn't say a few days later, doesn't say a week, doesn't say a month or a year. It says as soon as he woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord. We see Joseph waking up from this dream, and he is blindsided by the fact that Mary, his betrothed, is pregnant and is not his child.
Talk about drama. In the midst of confusion, Joseph chose to obey. Chose to obey as taking Mary as his own and raising up Jesus Christ as his own. The situation seemed impossible, but God sent an angel in this moment to tell Joseph, Hey, Mary's pregnancy is part of God's divine plan. Joseph obedient didn't change his life, it changed the course of history. His response to the unexpected was not driven by fear or doubt, rather it was in trust. Trust in God's plan, even though it didn't make sense. Even though it didn't make sense, he trusted in the Lord.
I could already imagine Joseph's thoughts. What am I going to tell my people? What am I going to tell my boys? That the girl I'm going to marry is pregnant and is God's child? They're not going to believe me. Half of the people are going to think, Mary cheated on you, bro. That's a red flag. Leave. The other half of the people are probably going to say, Really? You think that's God's child?
Just tell us you slept with her before getting married and you got her pregnant. That makes more sense. That makes more sense. See, in the same way our defining moment often comes when life takes an unexpected turn. Maybe your defining moment could come after the loss of a loved one. Maybe your defining moment comes after you receive a report from the doctor. Maybe your defining moment comes after unforeseen setback. Maybe your defining moment comes from a season of uncertainty. But just like Joseph was able to obey in this life-shattering moment, we too have a choice. We too have a choice. We could choose to be fearful, doubtful, or be angry at God.
We could choose to either be angry at God or we could choose to trust and obey in His plans, even though it doesn't make sense. You see, in my own life, in my defining moment, when life hit me unexpected, see, I had my plans of becoming a doctor. Everything was set.
My father was providing at that time and he passed away. Everything was uncertain. I had nothing in my plans that came with my father passing away. And can I tell you, can I be honest with you today? I chose to be angry at God. I chose to be angry at God.
Why? Because first, I went for Him to pray and I asked Him, heal my dad. Why couldn't you heal him? He was a believer. He can't heal.
The other reason was, was because my plans got interrupted. You see, the anger came from the false illusion that because God loves us, we won't suffer. We have this false illusion, especially in the American church, that because God loves us, we won't suffer. I hate to tell you, you will suffer in this temporary world. You will. If it's your first time here, I'm sorry that this is the message you're hearing.
But you will suffer. But you know what God promised? That He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will always be there with you. He will always be there working behind the scenes, even though you're not looking at it.
He is working behind the scenes. See, in this moment in Joseph's life, in that defining moment and in my life, in this defining moment, I understood this. Write this down. When life interrupts, obedience disrupts doubt. In other words, when life interrupts, obedience to God disrupts doubt. See, I had many doubts in my defining moments. I had doubts in God's plan.
I'll be honest with you. But I went into God's scripture, into God's Word, and I will find myself often in Romans 8, 28, where it says, And we know that for all those who love God... What does it say? It doesn't say some.
It doesn't say a few things. It says, All things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose. Joseph's obedience, though it was difficult, it was a step forward into fulfilling God's greater plan.
Not just for him and Mary, but for all of humanity. Just as Joseph was a part of God's redemptive story, our obedience, even in the unexpected, positioned us to play a vital role in God's ongoing work in the world. So my question is, will you obey in the unexpected? Truthfully, will you obey in the unexpected? Just like Joseph did.
We're going to take a look at the second defining moment. Obedience without applause. Obedience without applause. Matthew 2, next chapter, verse 13, it says, Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him. And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by prophet out of Egypt, I called my son. Here, Joseph receives yet another message from the angel of the Lord, telling him, Flee to Egypt. Protect Joseph from King Herod's deadly plan. And I'm going to set up the stage for you so that you could understand what's going on, because in chapter one, the story starts and we're going to take a look at the map. It starts all the way up Galilee, Nazareth, where Joseph and Mary were.
There was a decree sent out by the governor, Augustus Caesar, that there was going to be a census. And so everyone had to go back to their hometown. Joseph's family was part of Jerusalem. And so they traveled to Jerusalem. And in Bethlehem, that's where Jesus was born.
And you know the rest of the story. The wise men, they come and they go to King Herod and they're like, hey, where is the king of the Jews? King Herod feels some type of way by hearing the word king, probably. Hey, when you find them, let me know where he is. I want to honor him.
I want to give them. That wasn't his plan. So the king go and follow him, follow and find Jesus. And they're warned not to go back in a dream so they don't go back to King Herod. And King Herod feels some type of way because he thinks that the wise men did them wrong. And so he sends out a news and said, kill every boy to and under. The massacre, the massacre of the innocents.
And isn't that what just like is happening in our day and age? And the angel of the Lord tells them, flee, flee. Joseph gets his family and flees to the unknown.
Oh, for the sake of God's plan. This wasn't a public or celebrated moment. There was no crowds cheering him on.
There was no applause. No one was telling him how faithful he was. Yet Joseph had to quietly obey. His silent obedience wasn't glamorous, but it was vital. It ensured Jesus' safety and preserved the redemptive plan of God for humanity. Joseph's defining moment reminds us that our obedience to God often comes in quiet, unnoticed part of our life. See, Colossians 3 23 says, whatever you do, work heartily.
As for the Lord and not for man, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward, you are serving the Lord Christ. Joseph's silent obedience was ultimately for God and not for human recognition. Even when others don't see you, when people don't recognize you, God noticed every little act of obedience, whether small or silent. Like Joseph, our insignificant obedience can lead to eternal significance.
I'm going to repeat that again for the person in the back. Our insignificant act of obedience can have an eternal significance. Defining moments in our lives requires sometimes this quiet obedience. It's not about the spotlight. Everyone wants spotlight when you obey. But rather, it's about the obedience in the shadow.
Think about the athletes, how many hours they spend unnoticed before they step into the field. Everyone celebrates those defining moments. Everyone celebrated Michael Jordan when he did that game when he shot. Everyone celebrated Tom Brady when he won the Super Bowl.
Everyone celebrated Messi when he won the World Cup. But no one celebrates those hours in the gym, the discipline, the obedience to their craft, in the same way our quiet moment of obedience to God shapes our destiny and prepares us for greater purpose. See, when I take a look at my defining moment when I lost my father, I had to obey quietly. Why? Because God was calling me into ministry, and I did not want ministry. I wanted to become a doctor. That's what I wanted.
That was my desire. God says, you want to follow my plans? You're going to have to let go of the idol. You're going to have to let go of the idol.
The years spent studying, the hours in the library, the money spent. What am I going to tell my family? Everyone knew that I was going to become a doctor.
They were already calling me a doctor. I had to obey in silence so I couldn't hear people's opinions, couldn't hear the doubts and the fear. You see, I'm not saying this to boast about myself.
No, at all. Trust me, I'm not. But in the Bible we see many acts of obedience from Genesis to Revelation, from Abraham to Moses, to David, Mary and Joseph, the disciples, John. And I am the least of these. So if I could tell you that I obeyed God, you could too. You could obey God.
Let me write this down. Your silent obedience speaks volume to God. Your silent obedience speaks volume to God.
See, a preacher once said, God didn't call you to be successful. He called you to be obedient. Will you be obedient cross-assembly when God is calling you? Let's look at the third defining moment in Joseph's life. The obedience that changed generation.
The obedience that changed generation. Matthew 2.19 says, But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel. For those who sought the child's life are dead. And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. And then we could skip on, he says, And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. We see again, Joseph receives a message from the angel of the Lord, telling him, You could go back to Israel.
King Herod has died. Joseph faithfully and without questioning picks up his family and settles in Nazareth. And what might have seen like a small impractical decision was actually a defining moment. By following God's direction, Joseph helped the stage for the Savior of the world to grow in Nazareth. This shows us that the obedience isn't about the moment, just about this moment, but also about the future. Joseph's faithfulness in following God's instruction created a legacy that changed all of history. Proverbs 13-22 says, A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children. While this often refers to material inheritance, it also speaks about spiritual legacy, especially when we obey to God. When we choose to obey God in defining moments, we influence more than just ourselves. Deuteronomy 7-9 says, Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments. To a what? To a thousand generation. Joseph's faithfulness extended far beyond his own lifetime.
Far beyond, and obedience can do the same. See, as you're stepping into Christmas, and you probably still have to do some gift shopping, God bless you because the malls are crazy right now. As you're sitting with your family gathering around, whether Christmas season is good for you, whether it may be sad for some, as you're shopping and you're gathering around the Christmas tree, and you open up your presents, whether it may be the 24th, my Hispanic's in the building. Oh, I got two in the building.
That's it. Or you open up your Christmas present on the 25th, and everyone's got a smile on. Your kids got the gift that they wanted. Let me remind you that the best gift that you could give is not found in Macy's, is not found in Nordstrom, is not found in Amazon, is not found at Crap Tree Mall, but rather in your obedience to God. In your obedience to God. If you want to give the best gift to your family, to your beloved, obey God.
Obey God. Because let me tell you, that toy that you're going to give your kids are soon to break. That video game that they asked will soon be outdated. Those shoes you're about to give, they will soon be worn out.
That clothes you're going to give to somebody will soon be out of fashion. But you know what holds eternal value? You know what holds eternal value? Obedience to God. Obedience to God.
Defining moments aren't just personal, they're generational. When we obey God, you create a legacy of faith, hope, and love for those who come after you. Just as Joseph's obedience positioned Jesus to fulfill his ministry, your obedience could position others to step into their God-given purpose. See, the Christmas story is filled of defining moments. But at the center, at the core of the story, is the ultimate act of obedience.
Jesus Christ. Philippians 2-8 says, And being found in human form, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even on a cross. Jesus' obedience to the Father wasn't just a moment in history, it was a moment that changed all of history and eternity. See, through His obedience, He brought salvation to humanity and fulfilled God's ultimate redemptive plan. Jesus didn't just obey when it was easy and convenient, no. He obeyed to the point of laying down His own life for us, bringing salvation to you and myself and to those who accept Christ to have and live in a relationship with God. So I want to speak and I want to end today by saying this.
There's two people in the room today and I want to speak to both of y'all. The first one is to the believer. You've probably been a believer for 5, 10, 15, 20 years, maybe even a year. You know some verses. You come and serve. But God today is ultimately saying, I need you to obey in that thing.
I don't know what it is. You see, in Revelation chapter 3 it says, Behold, the Lord is knocking at the door. And many preachers use this to call upon the sinners. Come to Christ.
He is knocking at the door. But if we actually take a look at it, He is speaking to a church, a church that has disobeyed and has become lukewarm. So what is God calling you to obey today, believers? Maybe it's to finally step into your call and your purpose that you've been trying to get away from. Maybe it's leaving that person you're dating that is not a Christian and you think you're the Savior of the world.
You're not. But God is calling you to obey. Maybe God is telling you to start serving. Maybe God is telling you, obey Matthew 28, 19.
Therefore, go. When's the last time you spoke about Jesus to somebody? Do people know you're a Christian at your school or job? When's the last time you spoke the gospel to somebody? God is telling you, obey today. Go.
Go to all nations. See, I want to speak to the second person in the room, the non-believer. If you're never giving your life to Christ, you're probably standing in a crossroad of a defining moment.
And there's only two options in this life. You either go in eternity in heaven or eternity in hell. Hell is not a fake place.
It's not a made-up story. Jesus spoke about hell. And today is the day that the Lord has made for your salvation. Don't go another day without this salvation that Jesus has brought.
Tomorrow is not promised. God is calling you to obey today. Will you obey when it's unexpected, when there's no applause, cross-assembly? If that is you today, raise your hand in this place. If God is calling you to obey, raise your hand. This is an act of obedience right here, just laying your hands up, saying, today I choose to obey your way, God, not my way. I surrender my wills and wants, my desires to what you want, God.
So raise your hand in this building. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you up there. Thank you.
Thank you. Cross-assembly, God has called us to obey. What is He calling you to obey? Let us pray for those who have raised their hands. Thank you, Father, for this day.
Thank you because your Word was set forth. Father, I pray for those who raised their hand, Father, that they're standing in a defining moment. Father, I pray that you may give them strength to say yes to your will, Father. Father, to those who gave their life to Christ today, Father, may they be surrounded by your love even in this Christmas season. Father, I pray for those who probably the holidays are hard for them. Father, I pray for their soul.
I pray that you may bring peace and joy over to their life, Father. Father, we thank you. We honor you. We thank you for coming into this world and bringing salvation and taking it to the cross, the cross where it should have been us, but yet you took the position and died for us. We thank you for your obedience, Jesus. We honor you. We glorify you.
And all of God's people say, let us stand up to worship God. And you're worthy of it all. You're worthy of it all.
For from you are all things, and to you are all things. You deserve the glory. You're worthy, Lord. You're worthy of it all. Yes, you are, Lord. You're worthy of it all. For from you are all things, and to you are all things.
You deserve the glory. Sing day and night. And day and night, night and day, let incense arise. Day and night, night and day, let incense arise. Day and night, night and day, let incense arise. Day and night, night and day, let incense arise. Day and night, night and day, let incense arise. Day and night, night and day, let incense arise.
Day and night, night and day, let incense arise. Day and night, night and day, you're worthy of it all. Yes, you are, Lord. You're worthy of it all.
For from you are all things, and to you are all things. You deserve the glory. You're worthy, Lord. You're worthy of it all. You're worthy of it all.
For from you are all things, and to you are all things. You deserve the glory. Come on, Father, we bless your name this morning. We bless your name this morning, God. You're worthy of all of it.
All the accolades, all the crowns. You're worthy of all of it, God. God, I thank you that your word says that the promises of God are yes and amen. God, I pray that we would have the same sentiment with you, that every single time we would say yes, Lord. Amen to whatever you're asking us to do. I pray for that type of obedience, Lord. So, Lord, as we make our way out, God, God, I pray that we would be obedient unto you, God, no matter what you have for us, because we trust the one who holds our heart in his hands. We bless the name of Jesus. And so, church, I speak this over you. The Lord bless you, keep you, cause his face to shine upon you, give you grace and peace now and forever.
God bless you, cross assembly. I can't wait to spend Christmas with you the next few days. We'll see you tomorrow or on Tuesday. All right, we'll see you this week. Bless you, love you, in Jesus' name, amen.
