Family Matters (2) Luke 1:25-38; Matthew 1:18-25
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26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’ ”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Mary
Mary
What did she go through?
We know that Joseph was going to divorce her...
She was considered an adulterous woman...
How did she feel?
Would she have planned this?
What was her response?
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Servant here = 100% bonded to the master...
There were servants who could be partially bonded to a couple of masters...
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
What did she gain?
The promise that all things are possible with God
She gained the ability to partner with God’s unfolding plan
What did she lose?
She almost lost her marriage (But, God took care of that)
She probably lost friends, family, etc… But, Elizabeth must have understood her - she was also a woman who was bearing a miraculous child...
Joseph
Joseph
Imagine Joseph…
Hearing through the grapevine that Mary is Pregnant...
What did he go through
He was declared a “Righteous Man” - that was a STATUS TITLE that was EARNED!
He had to OBEY the Laws of God to earn this title...
How did he feel?
We don’t know how he felt, but we know what he planned to do… He planned to divorce Mary privately...
Why this? Because he is both Righteous and Kind...
The law said she was an adulterous woman
10 “If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the man and the woman who have committed adultery must be put to death.
But, Deuteronomy provides a RIGHTEOUS loophole...
1 “Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house. 2 When she leaves his house, she is free to marry another man. 3 But if the second husband also turns against her, writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away, or if he dies, 4 the first husband may not marry her again, for she has been defiled. That would be detestable to the Lord. You must not bring guilt upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession.
Was this his plan?
OF COURSE NOT! His plan was to marry, remain an upstanding Law abiding Righteous Man, have children and live happily ever after...
What was Joseph’s response?
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
What did he gain?
He gained the ability to continue to be a righteous man under a DIFFERENT understanding of Righteousness - that of following God’s desires to lead people to the Messiah...
He gained assurance that God would be with him
He gained the reminder of the prophet’s message
What did he lose?
He MIGHT have lost his standing among the men of the city
He probably lost his reputation… The way people viewed Jesus showed that they didn’t accept the idea that he was the Messiah
54 He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” 55 Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. 56 All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?”
Conclusion
Conclusion
PEACE comes from the presence of God in the midst of our circumstances
PEACE= Shalom - God’s presence that brings wholeness
Agreeing to partner with God's perfect, righteous plan will change us! It will change the world's view of us. Often we will lose our societal status, reputation, family, and friends. Often, our world will NOT understand and will most likely refuse to even TRY to understand.
They will make assumptions about us, share lies and half truths. We will become the headlines for tabloids and the mockery of society.
DO IT ANYWAY! We will be aided by God's Spirit, gifted with God's strength, power, grace and PEACE. And, we will see that what unfolds us may seem impossible, BUT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD as NO WORD FROM GOD WILL EVER FAIL!
And, as you commit to participate with God’s unfolding plan, no matter the cost, you begin to realize that you can do this not in your own power, but in the power of Immanuel - the power of Christ in you...
Ultimately, it’s not you, but Christ in you that allows you to continue to participate in God’s unfolding plan
BENEDICTION
BENEDICTION
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.