God's Will For Mary And Joseph
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Scandal Is Brewing
Scandal Is Brewing
Mary has gone back home to Nazareth
She is starting to show
Joseph has a dilemma
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
Joseph cant marry a woman who has been unfaithful
she has been gone for 3 months while she should be preparing herself
she comes back to town and she is pregnant
the whole town is in shock
who would believe about the angel, the Holy Spirit
the new Messiah
Joseph is going to back out quietly--- until
Matthew 1:20–22 (LSB)
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the One who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Traditional celebration has gone out the window
scandal, and gossip has begun
Mary is in seclusion because of the whispers
Joseph marries her but they are not consummating the marriage
God is compassionate to Joseph and Mary, and He is going to force them to leave town and go to a place where they can be in peace
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from everlasting, From the ancient days.”
Prophecy tells us the baby will be born in Bethlehem
read Luke 2 1-7.
Pray
The Decree
The Decree
V 1-3
in those days..
what days V 57 when John was born
the decree was issued
took quite a while for it to reach Nazareth
then preparations to depart on the 90 mile journey
by foot
Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem when the child was born
but we don’t know when they arrived
Most powerful ruler on the planet make a decree to fulfill prophecy
God’s providence over the things and people of this world
Just like in the days of Jeremiah he prophesied about Cyrus
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to complete the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah—Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he had a proclamation pass throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may Yahweh his God be with him, and let him go up!’”
Caesar Augustus did exactly what God wanted him to do
make a decree to bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem
90 miles away to give birth
the leaders of this world are under control of the Almighty
Why do the nations rage And the peoples meditate on a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against Yahweh and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord mocks them. Then He speaks to them in His anger And terrifies them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
the decree of kings is in the hands of God
and the movements of man is in the hand of God
Out Of The Blue
Out Of The Blue
V 4-5
so from no where comes this decree
Mary is well along
Joseph is taking care of Mary
He is the bread winner in the family
all he knows is in Nazareth
life itself is rough enough
now we have to set aside everything and go to Bethlehem
The town crier has just announced that every one has to go to their family home town to register
because the emperor wants to make sure you are taxed
did they know the prophecy of Michah?
But in V 38 Mary said I am your slave
I wonder if on the trip these things were discussed
This is the Messiah in me
a decree to go to Bethlehem
God is in control of everything
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.
Paul wrote this 50 years later, but it still applied to Joseph
We just need to trust in Him
The Birth of the Savior
The Birth of the Savior
V 6-7
while they were there long time,? short time?
the child is born in the city of David
the future King
born in a lowly barn a stable or a cave for animals
Jesus humbled Himself to be born of poor parents
born of meager income of the father
turn to phil 2
Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus humbled Himself to be our Savior
to be like us in every way except to sin
So that we can be saved from the Wrath of the Father
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
but we as Christians need also to be humble like our Savior
phil 2 12-15.
God is working in you the will and the way
the will for Mary and Joseph was to pick up every thing and go to Bethlehem
where they end up living until they move to Egypt
they don’t see their home town again for years
God’s plan is for His glory and our ultimate Good
What is your attitude toward God’s plan for you
Did Mary and Joseph have to ask God what His plan is for their lives?
no it was pretty obvious
Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem
God used the emperor of the known world to make a decree to bring the mother of the Messiah to Bethlehem
Joseph and Mary had no other choice but to do God’s will
Mary says to God I am your servant
Your will is perfect
this is a inconvenient time to go but I will
because your timing is perfect
the fog is so thick that I cant see my next step
but I’ll take it anyway because your path is perfect
my life and health is failing
but your eternity is perfect
Our faith in Jesus gives us this hope
our faith in Jesus gives us life abundantly
God has adopted us into His Family
God has given to us an eternity with Him. where He lavishes to us His grace every day
because of our love for Him we want to do His will
because of our love for Him we will trust Him in every situation that comes up