Introduction
Are you willing to trust God in the painful gap between promise and fulfillment, when the “gift is here,” but you still can’t open it yet? The central teaching I want to press into your heart is this: biblical joy is not denial of trials; it’s trusting God’s surprising plan in the middle of them, because His promises always move His people from confusion to Christ-centered joy.
During Advent we remember waiting, God’s people living with real promises that were still unfulfilled. We’ve already traced that waiting through Jesus’ genealogy: hope with Abraham, love with Ruth, peace with Rahab. But the biggest tension in waiting might be joy, believing that God will turn hard, confusing, unwanted circumstances into something good. I think of how a child responds to waiting: a gift arrives under the tree, his name is on it, and he declares Christmas has come, until he’s told, “You can’t open it yet.” Tears. Sorrow. “Christmas is cancelled.” That’s Advent tension in miniature: the gift is close, but not yet. We may not throw the tantrum outwardly, but many of us feel it inwardly. We wonder if a broken plan, an unexpected event, a confusing trial could really be used by God for good. Advent joy answers: yes, God often uses surprising circumstances to give you a surprising ending.
Main Points
Are you willing to trust God in the painful gap between promise and fulfillment, when the “gift is here,” but you still can’t open it yet? The central teaching I want to press into your heart is this: biblical joy is not denial of trials; it’s trusting God’s surprising plan in the middle of them, because His promises always move His people from confusion to Christ-centered joy.
During Advent we remember waiting, God’s people living with real promises that were still unfulfilled. We’ve already traced that waiting through Jesus’ genealogy: hope with Abraham, love with Ruth, peace with Rahab. But the biggest tension in waiting might be joy, believing that God will turn hard, confusing, unwanted circumstances into something good.
I think of how a child responds to waiting: a gift arrives under the tree, his name is on it, and he declares Christmas has come, until he’s told, “You can’t open it yet.” Tears. Sorrow. “Christmas is cancelled.” That’s Advent tension in miniature: the gift is close, but not yet.
We may not throw the tantrum outwardly, but many of us feel it inwardly. We wonder if a broken plan, an unexpected event, a confusing trial could really be used by God for good. Advent joy answers: yes, God often uses surprising circumstances to give you a surprising ending.
Joy Often Begins With Tension
Matthew’s genealogy builds toward a specific climax:
“And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.” (Matthew 1:16)
Everything is moving toward Jesus entering the world through Mary and Joseph. Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit through Mary, yet Matthew highlights Joseph because Joseph must legally receive this child into David’s royal line. Genealogies are not only about genetics; they are also about legal inheritance and covenant right. In that culture, naming the child was the decisive act of claiming the child, giving him Joseph’s lineage and rights.
So Joseph’s life is not a footnote; he is standing at a crucial intersection of God’s promise to David. And this is where joy starts strangely: not with carols, but with pressure.
A Trial Tests Faith Into Patience
Matthew immediately brings us into the conflict:
“After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18)
Betrothal was more binding than our modern engagement, breaking it required something like divorce. A year-long waiting period served as preparation and a public test of integrity. Then Joseph discovers Mary is pregnant.
Mary has already received revelation; Joseph has not. He is confronted with an undeniable reality, and his faith is tested. This is where I want you to hear Scripture as a lifeline:
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” (James 1:2–3)
Joy is not pretending the trial isn’t painful. Joy is believing that God is producing something good through the test, especially when you don’t yet know the outcome.
Justice And Mercy In Real Dilemmas
Joseph faces what feels like two terrible options:
“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” (Matthew 1:19)
A public approach could have protected Joseph’s reputation and pursued strict justice as the law described. A private approach could protect Mary from public shame. Either way, his plans appear shattered.
Notice what Scripture calls him: just. Joseph isn’t an “extra” in Mary’s story, he is a man qualified by God to shoulder a costly calling. Even in his pain, he is thinking about Mary’s well-being. A just man prefers mercy.
When you’re in a dilemma where every option looks unfavorable, Joseph teaches you something vital: you can still act with integrity and compassion while you wait for God’s clarity.
Prejoy: Slow Down And Consider
The next phrase is small but powerful:
“But while he thought about these things…” (Matthew 1:20)
Joseph doesn’t explode. He doesn’t react impulsively. He considers. In an instant-everything world, this is discipleship wisdom: don’t let emotion drive your obedience.
There is a kind of “prejoy” here, not because the trial is enjoyable, but because faith starts to say, “God is going to meet me in this.” Sometimes the most spiritual sentence you can speak in a crisis is:
“Lord, I don’t know what You’re doing, but I can’t wait to see how You handle this.”
Joseph thinks so deeply he falls asleep. The waiting and the stress exhaust him. And that’s often when we learn we cannot rescue ourselves with our own ideas.
God Speaks To Seeking People
Then God moves:
“Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream…” (Matthew 1:20)
God speaks to Joseph repeatedly through dreams, guiding him through what will become danger, relocation, and leadership under pressure. And here’s a promise I want you to take personally: God speaks to people who seek Him. It may not be through a dream. It may be through Scripture, godly counsel, a timely sermon, or the quiet conviction of the Spirit, but God is not silent toward His children.
James gives us the discipleship playbook:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach…” (James 1:5)
God is not stingy with wisdom, and He doesn’t shame you for needing it. Ask. Keep asking. He gives generously.
Identity Before Instruction
The angel’s first words are deeply intentional:
“Joseph, son of David…” (Matthew 1:20)
Before Joseph receives direction, he receives identity. We often reverse this, we want the plan first. But God anchors us first in who we are.
Joseph’s fear is tied to public reputation and shame. The angel reassures him: your identity is bigger than what people may assume about you. God’s calling is bigger than your comfort.
In the same way, James begins with “brethren”, you belong to God’s family. Scripture often calls believers “beloved.” Your dilemma does not erase your adoption. Your trial does not cancel God’s love.
So I disciple you to ask a better question than “What will people think?” Ask, “What does God say is true about me, and what is He calling me into?”
Option C: God’s Better Plan
Then the angel gives the divine perspective:
“Do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20)
Joseph had option A and option B. God brings option C, an option Joseph could not have reasoned his way into.
This is also where we confess doctrine without flinching: the virgin birth. Jesus is fully God and fully man, the promised seed who comes without Adam’s sinful line, sent by miraculous grace. God is not improvising; He is fulfilling ancient promise.
And Joseph is called to do something costly: stay, marry her, absorb misunderstanding, and obey God over public opinion.
Then comes the command that seals the legal lineage and reveals the mission:
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
Joseph is the first to hear the gospel announcement in this story: Jesus saves, not first from Rome, not first from poverty or sickness or relational strain (though His salvation will transform everything), but from sin.
Here’s the discipleship application I want to say plainly: if you want joy, you must start where the angel starts. The root problem beneath your joylessness is sin, and the root gift beneath all true joy is salvation. Sin may be temporarily pleasurable, but it is never truly joyful; it always takes more than it gives.
This is why Scripture prays:
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation…” (Psalm 51:12)
Joy is not mainly a circumstance; it is a restored relationship with God.
Finally, Matthew ties it all to prophecy:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel… God with us.” (Matthew 1:22–23; cf. Isaiah 7:14)
Advent is not sentimental nostalgia. It is the celebration that God kept His promise: God came near. God is with us. The waiting was not wasted. The tension was not pointless. The trial was the road by which the promise arrived.
Conclusion
Advent joy does not ignore broken plans, it interprets them through God’s faithfulness. Joseph’s story teaches you how joy grows: you face the tension, you refuse to react in the flesh, you consider, you ask God for wisdom, you receive identity before instruction, and you trust that God may have an “option C” that is better than anything you could have designed.
And at the center of it all is not a vague optimism, but a Person: Jesus, the Savior who saves His people from their sins, Immanuel, God with us. If you want lasting joy, it begins with receiving the salvation He brings, and it continues by trusting Him when you have to wait.
Father, in the name of Jesus, teach me to count it joy when my faith is tested, not because trials are easy, but because You are good and You are producing patience and maturity in me. When my plans break and I face dilemmas with no obvious answer, help me slow down and consider Your ways. Give me wisdom generously, without shame, as You promised.
Remind me of my identity in Christ, that I am Your beloved, adopted into Your family. Free me from the fear of what others think, and give me courage to obey You even when obedience is costly.
Thank You for sending Jesus to save His people from their sins. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make my life a witness that You still fulfill Your promises. You are Immanuel, God with us, and I trust You in the waiting. Amen.
Conclusion
Advent joy does not ignore broken plans, it interprets them through God’s faithfulness. Joseph’s story teaches you how joy grows: you face the tension, you refuse to react in the flesh, you consider, you ask God for wisdom, you receive identity before instruction, and you trust that God may have an “option C” that is better than anything you could have designed.
And at the center of it all is not a vague optimism, but a Person: Jesus, the Savior who saves His people from their sins, Immanuel, God with us. If you want lasting joy, it begins with receiving the salvation He brings, and it continues by trusting Him when you have to wait.
Closing Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, teach me to count it joy when my faith is tested, not because trials are easy, but because You are good and You are producing patience and maturity in me. When my plans break and I face dilemmas with no obvious answer, help me slow down and consider Your ways. Give me wisdom generously, without shame, as You promised.
Remind me of my identity in Christ, that I am Your beloved, adopted into Your family. Free me from the fear of what others think, and give me courage to obey You even when obedience is costly.
Thank You for sending Jesus to save His people from their sins. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make my life a witness that You still fulfill Your promises. You are Immanuel, God with us, and I trust You in the waiting. Amen.