The Purpose of Christmas
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Intro; Last week we looked at the family tree of Jesus and saw a lot of shady characters in it. We also talked about our on family trees, our DNA and are we in the Jesus’ family tree ‘The Lambs Book of Life.”
So when we come to Christmas we realize its a lot more than just presents, its about family. Mary and Joseph are probably the two most privileged people that have ever lived on earth. They were selected by God to be the earthly parents of Christ while He was here on earth. What a family! This morning I want us to look at this family, Mary, Joseph and Jesus, and see “The Purpose of Christmas!”
Text; Mt. 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
I want us to focus this morning on one verse, [v.21]. In this one verse we find “The Purpose of Christmas”
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Christmas- [Christ-mass] “Christ” means “Anointed One” and “mass” means “celebration/worship”. Christmas is the celebration/worship of the “Anointed One”, Jesus Christ!
1. Mary; 21a
1. Mary; 21a
The scriptures don’t reveal a whole lot about Mary except what we find here in the gospels.
We know that she was probably from Nazareth as that’s where her and Joseph lived before they came to Bethlehem for the census [Lk. 2:4-5]
We also learn that she had a sister named Salome, the mother of James and John who are the cousins of Jesus [Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40, John 19:25]
In Luke 3, we see the genealogy of Jesus through Mary. She’s in the Davidic linage.
We know from [Luke 1:36] that Elizabeth was her relative, probably a cousin, who we know as the wife of Zacharias and the mother of John the Baptist.
Besides this, all we know about Mary was that she was betrothed to Joseph and that she was a “virgin”
The betrothal [engagement/marriage] of a Jewish couple is a lot different than today.
First, the two families would agree to the union and negotiate the betrothal, including a price for the bride that would be paid to the bride’s father. Next, a public announcement would be made. At this point, the couple was “pledged/betrothed.” This is similar to engagement today, except that it was much more binding. At this point, even though the couple was not officially married, their relationship could be broken only through death or divorce. Sexual relations were not yet permitted. This second step lasted for a year. During that time, the couple would live separately, with their parents. This waiting period would demonstrate the bride’s purity. If she were found to be unchaste/pregnant during that time, the marriage could be annulled. Otherwise, the couple would be married and begin living together.
Barton, B. B. (1996). Matthew (pp. 13–14). Tyndale House Publishers.
Virgin- [almah] a woman of marriageable age, who has never engaged in sexual intimacy with a man.
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Mary was highly favored in the eyes of the Lord. She is from the royal linage of David, she has kept herself pure, she is of a humble spirit, and God chose her to bring forth a Son, who is the Christ Child, the Savior of the world!
Joseph knew if there ever was a girl you would want to marry, it would be Mary!
2. Joseph; 21b
2. Joseph; 21b
If you think we know little about Mary, we know a lot less about Joseph.
His fathers name is Jacob found in the genealogy of Jesus
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
He was a carpenter
55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?
He is betrothed to Mary [Mt. 1:18]
The rest of what we know of Joseph is found in our text this morning.
Joseph had a surprise coming from Mary as he found out that she was pregnant before they came together intimately. Joseph had a tough decision to make. According to the Law of Moses, he could call her out and have her stoned, he could write her a certificate of divorce, or he could marry her which would be an admission of guilt of which he wasn’t guilty.
[v.19] Joseph was a “just man” [righteous, wanting to do the right thing with compassion] was going to give her a private divorce, not to harm his reputation and still show compassion towards Mary.
[v.20-23] While Joseph was thinking about these things, God spoke to Joseph by in a dream.
Don’t be afraid that Mary has cheated on you, because she hasn’t. That child that she is carrying is the Son of God. She is conceived of the Holy Spirit!
I have chosen you to be his earthly father and I want you to call His name Jesus [Joshua, Hoshea, Jehovah is salvation]
I want you to raise Him as your own. Provide for Him, teach him, care for him as your own son, but understand that He is also your Savior, He is God!
Because you are a just man, and fear God, you are now favored as Mary is to be a part of the fulfillment of the promises of the coming Messiah [v.22-23]
[24-25] So Joseph was obedient to what God commanded him and he took Mary as his wife but he did not have intimacy with her until after Jesus was born. Joseph named the baby Jesus as commanded by God.
Now we have the picture of the perfect family at christmas. Mary and Joseph were both favored by God, just, humble and obedient. They have a beautiful baby boy who is the fulfillment of scripture, this is the best Christmas story ever! Not quite!
3. The Purpose of Christmas; 21c
3. The Purpose of Christmas; 21c
“For He will save His people from their sins”, that is “The Purpose of Christmas”
That christmas story of that perfect family I just told you is a true story, a wonderful story, but a story that is not of a perfect family. As good and just as Mary and Joseph were, they are still sinners, lost in need of being saved!
“Jesus came to save” - the word save means to deliver. What did Jesus come to deliver them from?
Jesus did not come to save the Jewish people from the Romans
He didn’t come to save them from the trials of life. Nor did He come to make them happy.
Jesus didn’t come to help them save themselves
Jesus came to save His people from their sins!
What does that mean?
He came to seek and save the lost. Man is pictured as wandering about in the wilderness of life trying to go someplace, but unable to find his way.
Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
He came to save from sin. A genetic disorder that man has no cure for. A master that enslaves a person and will not let go. A burden that is to heavy to carry.
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
He came to break the devil’s power
1 John 3:8 (NKJV)
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
He came to bring eternal life
John 10:10 (NKJV)
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
He came to give access to God
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
He came to restore fallen humanity
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
He came to give perfect peace
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
He came to claim victory
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
His people- His people clarifies that not all people are saved and are going to heaven.
John 10:26–27 (NKJV)
26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
His people are going to heaven because they have been saved from their sin because they believe!
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Close;
In Texas in 1987, a toddler by the name of Jessica McClure fell into an eight-inch well casing. Down she went, becoming stuck twenty-two feet below ground. Once people discovered that “Baby Jessica” was in the well, they took immediate action. They didn’t tell her to find a way to climb back up, and they didn’t just shout happy thoughts to encourage her. No, they went down to where she was and got her. They did whatever it took. Rescuers worked nonstop for fifty-eight hours to free her.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve fell. Down they went, dragging all humanity with them into the darkness and death of sin. And what did God do? He did not tell us to find our own way out of the mess we were in, and He did more than shout down happy thoughts to us from heaven. No, He came down to where we were and got us!
That’s The Purpose of Christmas—Jesus coming down to rescue us, to save His people from their sin!
Have you opened His gift of salvation this morning? If not, why?