The Missing Peace (Matthew 1:18-25)

Hey Manuel, before we get started. Let's pray and ask the Lord to work in our hearts through his word.

father I am powerless to change my own heart let alone the hearts of Your people whom you have brought to hear your word preached. I pray that you would speak through me is I preacher word. To change all of us into the likeness of your son.

Father please. Give me boldness to Proclaim your gospel knowing that as your work goes out. It does not return void, but it accomplishes what you purpose. Open iHeart and our minds to receive your word. We ask all this in Jesus name. Amen. Our Advent Series this year Ryan mentioned a little bit of it, but it's going to look at the birth of Jesus Christ from four different perspectives. Will see you this miraculous event from the eyes of Joseph Mary Jesus himself and the Shepherds. And today we're going to be focusing on Joseph's perspective. From Matthew 1:18 through 25 now Matthew's gospel account was written to a primarily Jewish audience. In the Jewish culture of the time was male-dominated. So it makes sense that Matthew would highlight josef's role and perspective in the birth of Jesus, even though he had nothing really to do with the miraculous conception and had very little to do with Jesus's birth. I'm most of us fathers. Had quite a bit to do with the conception of our children. But some may not have because your children might have been adopted.

That's ultimately the role Joseph would have in the early life of the Messiah. Joseph would be the Earthly adoptive father to to raise Jesus as his own, although he was not his flesh and blood. Let's read our passage and see if we can't jump into Joseph's shoes. Does Matthew 1? 18 325 does now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When is Mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together? She was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit and her husband Joseph being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying Joseph son of David do not fear to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins. 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 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.

No, I divided this passage into four sections kind of a short passage, but there's four clear sections here at the show the progressive of the short account from the birth of the birth of Jesus from Joseph's perspective and like most good stories. It starts with a problem. And then the solution to the problems presented, then we have an articulation of the significance of that solution and we end with the result of the solution. Just think of your favorite book or movie. One of my favorites is The Princess Bride. That story quickly introduces a problem Wesley goes missing and assumed dead and Buttercup is forced to marry the wicked Prince Humperdinck. The solution to that problem is when Wesley comes back and rescues her through quite a few ups and downs. The significance is brief, but Buttercup and Westley regain the hope that they had before the problem arose. And the result is that Buttercup and Westley were married and they all lived happily ever after. Now The Princess Bride is a fictional story, but our account from Matthew is very much real. Some aspects may sound fantastical. Like a Virgin giving birth or an angel speaking from God in a dream But make no mistake every word of it is true and really happened.

And the problem solution and significance of this account and Matthew all have to do with Joseph lack of peace in his betrothal to Mary because he lacked a crucial piece of information regarding her situation. We're going to see how Jesus is the missing piece who restores the Hope Joy love and peace we long for. The first part of the account and verses 18 through 19 set up the problem. of a wrong assumption and Joseph missing piece as it were.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When is Mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together? She was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit and her husband Joseph being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame resolved to divorce her quietly.

I remember this is from Joseph perspective. It should be pretty obvious that it's not from Mary's perspective because she's only spoken of passively or as the direct object of the actions of the passage that says that Joseph and Mary were betrothed. Not in that culture marriage took place in two stages. The betrothal stage was kind of similar to our concept of Engagement, but it was much more binding. In our modern Western culture engagements are broken off all the time. With no legal ramifications because engagement is seen as simply the intention to be married. And the Jewish culture that Joseph and Mary lived in betrothal was a legally binding contract is basically the same as being married before the ceremony and consummation of the trial that could last anywhere between a few weeks to a whole year.

Maintaining sexual purity of the bride and groom was very important during this time. So we have a bit of a problem with this betrothal don't we? Before they came together that is before the ceremony and consummation. Mary was found to be with child. scandalous Now we don't get to know exactly how Joseph found out. It could have been deduced from a parent symptoms or Mary could have volunteered the information after she was told what was happening by the angel Gabriel. regardless of how he found out we can assume that Mary told him what she had been told that the pregnancy was not due to infidelity, but By the power of the holy spirit this is because her text says that she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph probably thought that explanation was a bit convenient and fantastical. He didn't believe her story as evidence later by the angel assuring him that Mary's explanation was true. Who is natural assumption was that she had been unfaithful? Her pregnancy would bring shame upon her and shame upon him if word got out.

And clearly it could not be hidden forever. She would begin to show if she hadn't already. In that culture if one of the patrols were found to be unfaithful it was considered a breach of contract. Legal ramifications would normally be pursued by the other party.

Joseph would have been well within his rights to drag Mary to court and demand a divorce and repayment of the betrothal money is given to her family. It would be ugly but it would save Joseph from the shame of being married to a wife who was known to have been unfaithful. But that's not the character of the man that God chose to raise his son from infancy. The passage says that Joseph was a just man of the Greek word carries the connotation of being righteous. This righteousness was not just a hearing to the law. It was treating others fairly. and with respect

this righteousness or Justice was seen in his preference for Mary's well-being over his own. Sure, he was a bit self-serving to be thinking of divorce in the first place. But he wanted to spare her the shame of a public Scandal he decided he would divorce her privately.

So that she could be spared the public humiliation at least for a few months until her pregnancy couldn't be hidden anymore. Joseph Joseph assumed that Mary had been unfaithful and he assumed that she was lying about who the baby's father really was. This was clearly a wrong assumption. Based on a naturalistic explanation for the situation in front of him. He had no peace about the situation because he lacked a missing piece of information. Sometimes we can be like Joseph and dismissed the miraculous in favor of naturalistic explanations. In our minds the most plausible reason for what we experience is rarely Supernatural.

I think of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ to hold that the miraculous spiritual gifts have continued to be given throughout the church age. And I personally hold that these gifts have ceased to because their function is no longer necessary. but who am I? To deny that someone has had a miraculous experience. If someone were to claim that they had a vision from the Lord and it lined up with scripture and exalted the person and work of Christ. Then we should not deny that the vision the person experienced was real. If someone claimed that they had watched a person miraculously get healed of a disease after praying for them. We should not deny the reality of their experience.

God does Miracles every day?

Monday Miracles like allowing us to get to work on time by giving us all green lights. Two extraordinary acts like the creation of life in the womb for the Salvation of Souls.

all the way to miraculous healing

sometimes our naturalistic Tendencies cause us to dismiss God's Miracles as something explainable by natural means sometimes our theology can even cause us to dismiss God's Miracles because God doesn't do things like that anymore.

Just like Joseph had a wrong assumption. About the cause of Mary's pregnancy. We two can have wrong assumptions about how God Supernatural reacts. In our world and our lives today.

Our missing piece of information is the reminder that God displays his glory and miraculous ways.

Will this problem Joseph missing piece gets resolved pretty quickly. God sends a solution the missing piece of information in the form of a dream in versus 2221. Does but as he considered these things behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying Joseph son of David do not fear to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins.

The plan Joseph had to divorce Mary was only in his mind. You're not yet acted upon this plan because we see here in verse 20 that he was still considering these things when something amazing happened.

He fell asleep.

I don't know about you, but been when big life-changing things happen, I can rarely sleep well. But Joseph went to sleep. an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream to explain the situation

This is the exact explanation Joseph needed to believe Mary's claim that the child in her womb was not the result of infidelity, but the result of the Holy Spirit. Does Angels message is brief but it is packed with meaning. It starts off by calling Joseph by name and even referring to him as the son of David. Even in the greeting the Angels emphasis on the kingly line of David hints that the message that follows has to do with the Fulfillment of the davidic Covenant from 2nd Samuel 7. Covenant in a nutshell is that guy would establish the House of David forever through the Messiah who would be a descendant of David and rule on David's throne for eternity.

So after this, kingly greeting the angel tells Joseph not to fear to take Mary as his wife. God knew exactly what was motivating Joseph thinking about divorce. He was afraid.

He did not want the shame and ridicule of assumed infidelity to tarnish his reputation nor Mary's reputation. He was afraid that that was going to happen.

Can you imagine the emotions roiling inside of Joseph? shark anger sorrow fear bitterness frustration all because he did not accept that the situation was from God.

But the message from God highlights fear as the one emotion that would hinder Joseph from going ahead with the marriage. But what would alleviate that fear? On what ground does God's messenger give this command not to fear. He says that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She was telling the truth Joseph. Your assumption that she was lying in the child was the result of fornication is a wrong assumption. You're witnessing a miracle.

I was first half of the message is an explanation of the current situation the second half of the message is prophetic and instructive focusing on the future. Explains further that the child will be a boy a son and he instructs Joseph to name the boy Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

This was not just some random name picked off of Jewish babynames.com.

I remember when my wife and I were deciding on names of our children. We would read the names in the credits at the end of the movies that we would watch to see if any of them sounded good. The decision-making process for naming a baby in our culture is incredibly different from how Joseph and Mary did it. Usually names will be chosen from a list that had already been used in the family. And those names had certain meanings attached to them that signified how the child would be raised and what his or her contribution to society might be. We still have meanings attached to names but they're not significant meanings there more anecdotal. Some random bit of trivia to bring up in casual conversation. For instance. My name Jason means healer. I'm not a doctor. I mean that name means nothing other than its my name, right? But sometimes the names of people in the Bible are prophetic also of how God would use those people for his purposes of the name that the angel told Joseph to give the baby was prophetic a hell of a lot of meaning The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew root Yeshua, which means Yahweh saves. This is basically the same name as Joshua.

Moses's successor was also named Joshua. Yahweh saves and God used him mightily to save his people from their enemies and bring them into the Promised Land. A dog would also save his people through Jesus, but there's a Nuance here in the Angels instruction that makes Jesus way different from Joshua. the angel said to name the Child Jesus because he would save his people from their sins.

Name the boy Yahweh saves because he will do the saving.

The angel basically told Joseph that this child would be Yahweh and that he would save his people.

But he wouldn't save his people from their human enemies like you did through Joshua know he would save his people from their Ultimate Enemy. Send. This is amazing. The angel went straight to the purpose for which this child would be born. He went straight to the cross and the Redemption Jesus would purchase there for all of his people through his blood. You see Jesus did not come into the world just to teach us some stuff and live a good life for us to follow. He came into the world to save us from sin and death. By becoming sin on our behalf and dying on the cross in our place.

2nd Corinthians 5:21 says for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin. So that in him we might become the righteousness of God. In Romans, 5:10 says for while we were enemies. We were reconciled to God by the death of his son much more now that we are reconciled. Shall we be saved by his life?

All we have to do is let go of our sin and cling to him. in faith to be saved I'm sometimes around Christmas time. We can be tempted to focus on the cradle and forget the cross. We need to remember that God's glory is not only displayed in the miraculous birth of the Messiah but in the miraculous in the miracle filled life, he lived and ultimately in the miraculous atonement. He purchased through his death on the cross and his resurrection to save us from sin and death.

well We solve the problem of Joseph missing piece and we saw God solution to this problem in the Angels missing piece of information. A Divine explanation of how Mary became pregnant and how and who exactly this child would be now. We'll see the significance of the solution prophecies missing piece in verses 22 to 23. Does 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 Immanuel, which means god with us?

Now Christmas time I love getting out a big puzzle sitting all the pieces together until it makes a beautiful picture. I get a sense of accomplishment every time I fit one of the pieces in the right spot and my wife thinks I'm crazy. There's something fulfilling about solving a jigsaw puzzle. I know they're at least a few of you in here. You can identify with me. How aggravating is it when you get to the end of the puzzle, and there's missing piece. One missing piece in the picture isn't all there. Especially when you've been working on the puzzle for many hours even multiple days. Well, the nation of Israel had been working on a puzzle for over seven hundred years. There was a prophecy and Isaiah that had a missing piece that I confused them for all that time. They can get it confused them all. I hear Matthew explains the missing piece from that Prophecy in the person of Jesus. Matthew takes us out of the narrative here and gives us some information that would actually shake the nation of Israel down to its core. Is he the prophet Isaiah had given a prophecy from the Lord way back around 735 BC or so when Wicked a has with King the most of that prophecy has been fulfilled within a few years. But there was one little piece that remained unfulfilled. And that left the picture unfinished. The missing piece was Isaiah 7:14, which Matthew helpfully quotes for us in the surrounding parts of that prophecy had already come to pass but this one verse remained unfulfilled until God revealed its fulfillment through Matthew. Joseph being a good Hebrew kid went to synagogue and learn from his rabbi's about these prophecies. I can you imagine the weight. Nick statement he would have felt in realizing that this child who was growing in the womb of his betrothed was the Fulfillment of this obscure prophecy that had befuddled Scholars for so long. Can you imagine the shock as this realization washed over him? This little baby. Who is still in utero at this point was God himself and he would save his people from their sins.

I get butterflies in my stomach. Just thinking about it. It's ironic that the one piece of information that Joseph was missing was the same piece of information that the nation of Israel was missing in understanding this prophecy a virgin would literally conceived a child by the Holy Spirit and bear a son who would be Yahweh himself physically with his people in order to save his people not from an enemy Army, but from the Ultimate Enemy of sin. It makes sense that Matthew would place this explanation of the Fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 right after the Angels explanation to Joseph because the wording is actually very similar to the prophecy. Mary was a known virgin yet. She had conceived by the Holy Spirit and she would bear a son and his name would be Jesus because as Yahweh himself, he would save his people from their sins.

Behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel because as Yahweh himself, he would be physically with his people. You see how they're very similar. Do the Jewish audience Matthew was writing for this realization right at the beginning of his gospel account would have shocking effects. This would divide. the whole Jewish Nation it would divide Jewish congregations and even families. Is Jesus really the Messiah or is this just some Fantastical attempt to see the Messiah where he really isn't? Someone embrace it and spiritually understand that Jesus is the messiah. But many would reject it in unbelief still looking for the Messiah and still confused about this missing piece of Isaiah's prophecy. The reason many refused to believe is that the missing piece was not planted in good heart soil. What do I mean by that? Do you remember Jesus's parable of the soils commonly called the parable of the sower? Let me read it for us during your Bibles over to Matthew 13.

I'm going to read the parable from versus from verse 1 through 9, then we'll jump down 2 verses 18 through 23 where Jesus explains the parable.

That same day. Jesus went out to the house out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered around him so that he got into a boat and sat down and the whole crowd stood on the beach and he told them many things in Parables Saying A sower went out to sow and as he sowed some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and devoured them other seed fell on Rocky ground where they did not have much soil and immediately they sprang up since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun arose and they were scorched and since they had no root they withered away. Other seed fell among thorns and the Thorns grew up and choked them other seed fell on good soil and produce crane some 100 fold some 60 some 30 he who has ears let him hear.

Then down to verse 18 it says here then the parable of the sower when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sewn along the path as for what was sewn on Rocky ground. This is the one who hears the word and immediately received it with joy. Yes. He has no root in them self but indoors for a while and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word immediately he falls away as for what was sown among Thorns. This is the one who hears the word but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it proved proved unfruitful as for what was sewn on good soil. This is the one who hears the word and understands it he indeed bears fruit & Guilds in one case a hundredfold in another 60 and in another 30

for whatever reason many Jews who heard that Jesus is the Messiah the Fulfillment of Prophecy did not believe it because I either did not understand it or they did not embrace it or they did not Revere it. It takes a good heart soil to truly believe in Jesus, but that good soil comes from the Holy Spirit. Joseph need a direct Revelation from God to understand that the child and Mary's womb was the Fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, and we also need the Holy Spirit and the revelation of God in the Bible to understand these things. If you're a Christian then you and I should be thanking God everyday for making our heart receptive to his word for giving us good Hearts toil.

If you're not a Christian, then I pray that the Holy Spirit would give you a heart of good soil so that you can understand Embrace and Revere Jesus Christ as Lord and savior in the missing piece in the Fulfillment of Prophecy in the Prince of Peace. Now you don't need to wait until you feel like your heart is good soil and then try to believe that's getting the cart before the horse. The way you know that your heart has been cultivated with good soil is that you do believe?

So we saw the problem of Joseph missing piece the solution of the Angels missing piece of information and the significance as that same information was the prophecies missing piece. now we'll see the result how Joseph's missing peace was restored in verses 24 through 25 of our passage back in Matthew chapter 1 Does when Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took his wife, but he knew her not until she had given birth to a son and he called his name Jesus. It was this missing bit of information in place. Joseph had peace in taking Mary to be his wife and obeying what the angel of the Lord had commanded him. I remember back in verse 19. Joseph clearly was not at peace with the whole situation. He was seeking divorce.

He was considering divorce because he assumed his betrothed had been unfaithful. There were likely a lot of emotions swirling around in his head and heart you was not at peace. but after the missing piece of information clarify the situation and the realization of what was happening washed over him in his sleep. He woke with a new conviction. He was now resolved to marry his betrothed. And keep this baby safe and name him according to what the angel had instructed. Joseph Pease had not only been restored. Is it been energized beyond what it was before? Because now it was not just his marriage that was at stake, but the salvation of the world through this little baby. Matthew tells us that Joseph kept Mary a virgin until she gave birth this shows just how committed Joseph was to protecting this baby and the Fulfillment of this prophecy through him. It doesn't indicate exactly how long he waited but we can imagine it was a few months. Before they would actually consummate their marriage. I imagine he felt a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility. Of raising the son of God. I remember when I found out I was going to be a new dad way back in 2008.

I'm pretty sure most guys feel the same way. I did. completely inadequate for the position

I was only 24 years old. Just out of college. I was only just figuring out how to be a husband. I was certainly not ready to be a father. Joseph he had to wrap his head around being a new husband to marry and a new dad to a baby who is not really his. Not only that but he also had to be unbelievable burden of being a dad to Yahweh in the flesh.

However, you look at it his peace in this situation was a miraculous gift of God. amen So let's recap Joseph had lost his peace because he was missing a crucial piece of information about his situation. So the angel of the lord gave him that missing piece of information in a dream which corroborated Mary's claimed that she had a really conceived by the Holy Spirit rather than infidelity and that the child was the prophesied Messiah the author Matthew gave us a glimpse of the significance of this realization by linking the Angels words with Isaiah 7:14. Which was up to now is very confusing part of Isaiah's prophecy. Then after Joseph woke up his peace was restored so that he would go ahead with the marriage and be a father to the Messiah.

You see Joseph had a change of heart. He went from seeking the least painful outcome for his perceived situation. To seeking obedience for God's glory. regardless of the circumstances

But what made him change his mind?

It was a realization that the child growing inside. His betrothed was God who became a human being to save his people from sin and death. That kind of Miracle had never happened before it would never happen again.

This was the missing piece of information from both both of Joseph situation and Isaiah's prophecy that brought peace to Joseph and peace to the world. But how can we have peace like that? Many times we may think that peace can only be had if our situation changes. We would do well to remember that. Jesus will not necessarily change our situations. He will not necessarily make our lives better and smoother and more prosperous or less confrontational. What Jesus does in our lives? Is he brings hope? two hopeless situations

He brings Joy. to joyless monotony He brings love to Loveless relationships. And he brings peace to a peace list world.

Our situations the monotony of Our Lives a difficult relationships and the end tag in Mystic world. We live in Will likely never change.

To have peace, like what was given to Joseph our situations will not be changed. We will be changed. Jesus changes us when we have faith in him.

So now his hope Joy love and peace flood our vision in the midst of Our Lives. We're before only hopelessness sorrow hate and strife prevailed. Search for your Flex on how Joseph's heart changed in the midst of his circumstances. Let's remember that Jesus. The Messiah is the missing piece that fills the void of the Hope Joy love and peace we long for. Let's pray.

Father. Thank you so much for sending your son. To become human to live with us to save us from our sins. I pray that you would remind us every day that Jesus Is Our Hope or Joy our love and our peace in our lives that would otherwise cause us to despair. Father I ask that you would cause your spirit to bring to our minds. The reminder that Jesus is sufficient for all of our circumstances. I pray that you would help us to remind each other of these things as well.

Father you have placed us. in this church family to bring glory to your name. I pray that you would unify us.

And father during Christmas time. It's so easy to get caught up and cultural traditions. And to lose sight of our mission to Shine Your Glory into our culture by proclaiming the good news of Jesus.

I pray that we will be bold. And sharing the gospel.

Which is the missing piece to restore peace to the lives of all who hear it?

We thank you and praise you in Jesus name. Amen.