How Courageous Women Preserved the Line to Christ

This morning we opened our Bibles to 2 Kings 11 and watched God keep a fragile promise through the courage of a largely unknown woman. Athaliah slaughtered the royal heirs of Judah to secure her throne, but Jehoshabah risked everything, hid baby Joash, and tucked him into the one place the usurper would never visit—the temple. While evil strutted in the palace, the true king was growing up in God’s house. The kingdom of God often works like that—quiet, hidden, and unstoppable. God had promised a forever King from Judah and from David. If that line failed, there would be no Christmas and no Savior. But God’s promises are not hostages to human power; he preserves them, sometimes through ordinary people who do the next right thing.

We followed that thread to Ruth, the Moabite widow who chose Naomi’s God and found herself folded into the line of David through Boaz, the son of Rahab—the former prostitute whose scarlet cord still preaches grace. Then we stood with Esther, who stepped into danger to intercede for her people and said, “If I perish, I perish.” Each of these women stood in dark moments and chose faithful action over fearful calculation. In their stories God wasn’t scrambling; he was composing. The apparent chaos was only a backdrop to make his faithfulness shine.

So what do we do now? First, recognize that small acts of obedience have long shadows. Choices sow futures—in us, in our families, and in people we won’t meet this side of heaven. Second, remember God loves to use the overlooked so that no one mistakes who did the work. Third, stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves; love that doesn’t move its feet is not love at all. Finally, walk by faith and not by sight. Advent teaches us to look back at a manger and a cross, and to look forward to a King who returns. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed. We can too. Come to the table with that hope, confessing, trusting, and looking to Jesus.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s promises outlast apparent collapse When the line of Judah looked erased, God preserved it through hidden faithfulness. What feels like collapse in your life may be the canvas for covenant mercy. God’s promises are sturdier than your circumstances, and his timing is not hostage to what scares you. Look for the quiet places where the true King is still at work. [28:41]
• 2. Small obedience shapes generations We rarely see how a single yes carries into a thousand tomorrows. Hidden faithfulness plants seeds that bear fruit in people and places we’ll never touch directly. Choose obedience today; it will tutor your heart, bless your home, and outlive your name. [42:39]
• 3. God delights in using the overlooked Jehoshabah, an unnamed nurse, a Moabite widow, a former prostitute, an orphan queen—the pattern is deliberate. God chooses unlikely servants so the results can’t be confused with human brilliance. Stop waiting to feel impressive; offer availability, and let grace be the headline. [44:02]
• 4. Protect the vulnerable; care must act Scripture teaches us to speak and move for the stranger, orphan, and widow. Compassion that never leaves the chair is sentiment, not love. Find the person without a voice and lend them yours, even when it costs you. [46:59]
• 5. Hope looks past sight to Jesus Faith does not deny the darkness; it refuses to be defined by it. Fix your eyes on the promise-keeper, not the waves, and take the next faithful step. Advent hope lives between memory and promise—what God has done and what he has said he will do. [49:43]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:35] - Opening and Advent setup
• [02:10] - Bobby’s bike story and a “holy kidnapping”
• [04:05] - Athaliah’s evil and the war of the seeds
• [07:40] - Jehoshabah hides Joash in the temple
• [10:55] - The subversive kingdom: the real King still reigns
• [13:20] - Why this mattered for Christmas
• [16:05] - Ruth and Naomi: God “visits” his people
• [19:30] - Rahab’s scarlet mercy and Boaz’s legacy
• [22:50] - Esther’s courage: “If I perish, I perish”
• [26:15] - Four take-home applications
• [31:10] - Walk by faith, not by sight
• [34:45] - Advent hope: past grace, future glory
• [38:20] - Communion invitation and response

Bible reading (ESV)
2 Kings 11:1–3
1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered; and she hid him, with his nurse, in the house of the Lord. 3 So he was hidden with them in the house of the Lord six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Observation questions

1. What does 2 Kings 11:1–3 say Jehosheba did, and who else is named as helping in the hiding of Joash? (See where the passage is read in the sermon.) [25:50]
2. Why did Jehosheba choose the house of the Lord as the hiding place? What practical and symbolic reasons does the sermon give for keeping Joash in the temple? [32:03]
3. How long was Joash hidden, and what does the six‑year detail tell us about the danger and the patience required in that season? [32:03]
4. The preacher mentions Ruth, Rahab, and Esther alongside Jehosheba. What specific acts did each woman do (briefly), and how do those acts connect back to the significance of preserving the royal line? [36:34]

Interpretation questions (third person voice)

1. What does Jehosheba’s action suggest about the way God accomplishes his purposes through individuals rather than public power? How should that shape the group’s view of “ordinary” faithfulness? [44:02]
2. Given the sermon’s emphasis on the promised line from Judah (the Davidic promise), how does the threat to Joash clarify why these hidden rescues mattered for God’s covenant purposes? [28:41]
3. How should one understand the temple as a place of protection in this story—was it merely physical security, or was something more the preacher had in mind about God’s presence and authority? [32:03]
4. The sermon links these stories to Advent hope. How does recalling hidden, risky obedience in the past help someone “look past” present darkness and trust God’s future promise? [49:04]

Application questions (personal, concrete)

1. Identify one small, low‑visibility act of obedience you can do this week (for your home, neighbor, or church). When and how will you do it? The sermon said small obedience can shape many tomorrows. [42:39]
2. Is there a person in your life you tend to overlook (a coworker, neighbor, single parent, refugee, someone stigmatized)? Name one concrete step you will take this month to make yourself available to them. [44:02]
3. Who in your circle cannot easily speak for themselves (a child, elderly person, someone marginalized)? Describe a specific action you will take this week to advocate or protect that person. [46:15]
4. Where in your life are you tempted to “walk by sight” instead of faith—what anxiety or circumstance is dominating you? Pick one faith‑step (a prayer, a phone call, a confession, a sacrificial act) you will take in the next 48 hours. [48:30]
5. Are there secrets, patterns, or sins you’ve been hiding that need to be brought into the light (so they can be dealt with)? If so, who will you share this with for accountability, and when will you do it? The preacher urged doing the right thing even when it costs. [40:01]
6. During this Advent season, what is one regular practice you will adopt to rehearse God’s past faithfulness and strengthen hope (a short daily reading, a weekly family story time about God’s promises, journaling one remembered answer to prayer each day)? Commit to the day/time you’ll start. [49:23]

Use these questions to guide honest sharing, listen for how God may be calling ordinary obedience, and consider practical next steps the group can take together to protect the vulnerable and live by faith.