Matthew 1:18-25 - The Saving God Is With Us
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Merry Christmas everyone. It is a joy to be in the house of the Lord on Christmas Eve.
People get excited for Christmas. It is hard not to be excited about things like the lights, trees, candy canes, presents, eggnog, snow (which doesn’t look too likely for us this year at Christmas!), family gatherings, Christmas dinners, and more. There is nothing inherently wrong with these things. They do make this season fun and enjoyable.
The problem becomes when these things become the main thing. Sadly, in most of our world - these things are the main thing - and the church has followed suit.
My prayer for us today is that this time together helps us refocus our eyes off of all of the earthly and temporal things and focus on the eternal -namely Jesus Christ.
Let’s go ahead and read our Scripture for today:
Read Full Scripture:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his 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 had 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.
Prayer
To understand our context, Matthew has just finished a genealogy of Jesus through Joseph. Most scholars consider Matthew’s genealogy to be Joseph’s and Luke’s to be Mary’s. This makes sense because we now go into the birth narrative of Jesus which seems to come with more of a perspective from Joseph while Luke gives a perspective from Mary.
This detailed genealogy has gone from Abraham down to Judah down to David and down to Joseph. We see many of the Old Testament saints of old listed in this genealogy. Some of those listed are more saints and frankly some are more sinners! Yet all along the way, we see God protecting the nation of Israel so that this very moment in time would occur. The promised Messiah would come to save His people.
And now that this moment has come, we will see that it comes with quite a few bumps in the road. Like anything in life, there are trials and struggles ahead. But our sovereign Lord always accomplishes what He promises.
As we study through this passage, we will see three aspects of the coming of Christ to Earth. The first is…
I. Jesus Came to Earth by the Holy Spirit (18)
I. Jesus Came to Earth by the Holy Spirit (18)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
Verse 18 is full of information surrounding the environment around Jesus’ incarnation. The Bible is clear that Jesus is eternal - existing as the Second Person of the Trinity - the Son of God. We also know that the promise of His coming is given to us as early as Genesis 3:15!
After all of these years that had past, the promise was now to be realized. We are told that the Holy Spirit has now fashioned the Messiah in Mary’s womb.
Luke lets us know Mary’s interaction with the angel Gabriel in the promise given to her in Luke 1:26-38. We see there that the angel clarifies how she will become pregnant even though she is a virgin - the Holy Spirit will create the baby in her womb thereby making her Son fully God and fully man. We will go into more detail regarding this in a while.
After giving Mary all of this information, we see here that Joseph was left in the dark. After hearing this information, Luke lets us know that Mary left town and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth - who was also pregnant, being around 3 months ahead of Mary, with John the Baptist.
During this time away, it became more and more outwardly apparent that Mary was pregnant.
Now enters verse 18.
Joseph is betrothed to Mary and yet she is found to be with child. And Matthew is clear that they had not come together yet - meaning they had not consummated the marriage. It is obvious to him that he is not the child’s father.
We discussed this some when we went through Luke’s Christmas narrative last year, but betrothal was a big deal in Biblical times. It was not like an engagement that could be called off without any legal ramifications.
A betrothal was a legally-binding pledge.
A bride price was paid followed by a year wait in which the future husband would work on finding or building a home suitable for his new family. After that year, a wedding feast would be thrown and the marriage would be consummated.
In order to break this, an official divorce decree would need to be signed in the presence of two witnesses.
So this is where Joseph is right now. His soon-to-be wife is pregnant and the baby is not his. This has put him in quite a predicament!
We all know that the Holy Spirit has fashioned this baby, and that Mary is innocent of any wrongdoing. But as far as Joseph knows, there hasn’t been a person made by any means other than normal procreation since Adam and Eve!
There is only one real option that he can think of when seeing her pregnant - his wife had to have been unfaithful.
And this brings us to our next point and verses…
Scripture References: Genesis 3:15, Luke 1:26-38
II. Jesus Came to Earth to be the Savior (19-21)
II. Jesus Came to Earth to be the Savior (19-21)
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Historians often call Joseph the quiet guy. We actually are never given a quote from Joseph in any of the Gospels. He never actually speaks on the pages of the Scriptures. Yet, we are told here that he is a just man and unwilling to put her to shame. This speaks very highly of this man who would become the earthly father of the Messiah.
He had every right to divorce her publically and call for reprimand and even stoning. Although the Romans had sought to put an end to the death penalty being carried out by the Jews, they had done so at times anyway (consider the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7). According to Deuteronomy 22:13-21, the penalty for adultery was stoning.
Yet, we are told that although Joseph was a just man - meaning that he kept the Law well - he also was unwilling to put her to shame. Here we see the beautiful picture of both grace and truth - compassion and truth. This man would prove to be a great example for young Jesus to see as He grew up. A man who was strong in conviction but also strong in compassion.
We can all learn from Joseph here. This is our goal for our church fellowship. We seek to be a people that teach the Word truthfully and live graciously. The Christian life necessitates both grace and truth - love, compassion, and zeal for the Word of God.
Joseph has decided to take the most gracious road that he can think of at the time. That is until verse 20…
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.
Matthew hints that Joseph was struggling with this decision. Verse 19 tells us that Joseph had resolved to divorce her quietly. Yet in verse 20 we see that he is considering these things - likely meaning that he was reflecting on his decision and if it was the right thing or not. He was in a no win situation, right?
We then see Matthew use the word behold before giving this Word from God through an angel. The word behold let’s us know that something new is coming or something that requires special attention. It is a word that tells us to wake up and listen closely! Something amazing is about to happen.
And as Joseph struggles through this decision some amazing news comes from an angel of the Lord in a dream. The angel starts off by addressing him by his lineage.
Joseph, son of David.
The magnitude of this greeting cannot be missed. This idea of the Messiah coming through the line of David was widely known and anticipated by Israel. This reference was not missed by Joseph.
We see that Joseph is of the lineage of David in the initial genealogy given to us by Matthew. The promised Messiah would come through the line of David. Both Mary and Joseph were of the line of David. And this address of his lineage is loaded with assurance and comfort for Joseph.
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.
During this dream, the angel then says an important statement to Joseph. The angel says do not fear.
There may be someone here today that needs to hear that statement. We see this statement throughout the Bible - Do not fear. In a world full of evil and atrocities bombarding us in the news every day, we all need to hear that statement. Do not fear.
And do not fear obeying the Lord - even in the hard things.
Joseph is told not to fear taking Mary as his wife. This was a God-ordained and God-orchestrated event. Mary is pregnant but has conceived by the Holy Spirit. She was not unfaithful to her husband. Joseph can trust her.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph is then informed just how special this miraculously born child is.
He is informed that Mary will bear a son and he is to name the child Jesus for He will save his people from their sins. This is such a beautiful verse. Joseph need not fear because the King is coming.
The name Jesus means “Yahweh saves.”
Joseph has no need to fear because God is a saving God. The Messiah is coming. Salvation is coming. There is no need to fear.
Brothers and sisters, if you struggle with fear and anxiety, let this message from the angel assure you that you have no need to fear if you are in Christ. If you are not in Christ, your fear is warranted. But it doesn't have to stay that way. Fear has to do with punishment as we see in the Scriptures.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
But perfect love cast out fear. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, came to earth some 2000 years ago to cast out the fear of death and hell. He came and lived a sinless life and died on the cross for our sins. He rose three days later thereby defeating death in the grave.
Through His death on the cross, fear has been overcome. Death has been defeated. The grave no longer has dominion over the people of God.
However, if you have not placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, that payment has not been credited to your account. The free gift of salvation is offered to you through Jesus Christ. I pray that you humble yourself before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the God that lived and breathed and walked among us in the form of a God-man - namely Jesus Christ who was and is 100% God and 100% man. He has existed for all eternity and yet took on human flesh 2000 years ago to save His people from their sins.
Is there any greater news than this?
Which brings us to our final point for today…
Scripture References: Acts 7, Deuteronomy 22:13-21, 1 John 4:18
III. Jesus Came to Earth to Become the Sacrifice (22-25)
III. Jesus Came to Earth to Become the Sacrifice (22-25)
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had 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).
As we just mentioned, God became flesh and dwelt among us. The prophet Isaiah gave this prophesy some 700 years before the incarnation of Jesus Christ. We read it in Isaiah 7:14. He prophesied that Immanuel would be born to a virgin.
Because of the sinfulness of man, some liberal theologians have tried to deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Yet this account in Matthew and the Christmas accounts in Luke are as clear as can be that Mary was a virgin. The Greek word used here is parthenos (par-thin-ose) - which only means virgin. There is no other real use for this word.
Liberal theology has sought to address the Hebrew word found in Isaiah 7:14 which is alma (all-mah) and claim that it can mean young woman instead of just virgin. Yet, every other time that this word is used in the Hebrew it refers to a virgin (Exodus 2:8, Psalm 68:25, Proverbs 30:19, Song of Solomon 1:3, Song of Solomon 6:8).
We also see support for the word virgin in the LXX - Septuagint. The Septuagint is the Old Testament translated into the Greek language which was translated during the second and third centuries BC. This was done for the Jews that were dispersed into Greek territories as many of them lost their ability to read the original Hebrew. The translators of the Septuagint translated this word alma in Isaiah 7:14 as parthenos (par-thin-ose) - which is the word Matthew uses here in verse 23. This was done well before Christ was even born which shows that the translators understood this Hebrew word alma to mean virgin.
As theologian John MacArthur states:
“It should be concluded that ’almâ is never used to refer to a married woman.”
John MacArthur
We have seen, Matthew and Luke be crystal clear that Mary was a virgin. So I pray that you can stand firm in the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. To attack the virgin birth is to attack the very deity of Christ.
As Matthew clarifies here - the name Immanuel means ‘God with us.’
The perfect and sinless God who created the heavens and the earth came to take on flesh to dwell among us. Why would God do this? Why would He leave His glory in heaven and humble Himself to the point of being born as a man and laid in a manger. The King of Kings sleeping among animals.
As our point asserts, Jesus came to earth to become the sacrifice. He came to become the sacrifice for the sins of the world. As we have already mentioned, He came to provide salvation to us.
Our Savior had to be fully God so that He had the power over death and the grave. Yet He had to be fully man as well so that He was able to fully pay the penalty on our behalf. He had to perfect so that He was able to place His righteousness upon us and because He had to be the spotless Lamb. And He had to die because sin deserves the penalty of death. Listen to Paul in Romans give the state of man and the salvation offered to him:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What an amazing blessing that we have been given. God has come down to earth to dwell with man for a time in order to become the sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Eternal life is found only in Jesus Christ.
We can only imagine how Joseph must have responded to such an angelic message. Can you imagine hearing this message and knowing that you had to raise the Messiah - the Son of God - God-made-flesh. I imagine that Joseph woke up with quite a cold sweat that next morning. Yet, he also woke up with much peace as well. He had found out that his future wife was, in fact, actually still faithful to him. And even more than that - He found out that the Messiah was coming. The King was coming.
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.
Verses 24 and 25 show us the righteousness of Joseph. After his dream, he obeyed. It says that he did as the angel had commanded him. He took his wife but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he obeyed the angel by naming this child Jesus. Mary had been told the name of this child before become pregnant in Luke 1:31. Joseph has also been told that he was to name the child Jesus. In this beautiful display, Joseph names the boy, thereby showing his earthly adoption of Mary’s baby boy. He has stepped up and agreed to raise the Son of God.
We mentioned at the beginning of today’s sermon that Joseph is called the ‘quiet guy’ in the Scriptures because his words are never recorded in the Bible. Yet, we should also call him the ‘obedient guy’ as well.
We only see him appear in the Gospels a handful of times. We see him here in our account today, we see him present for the dedication of Jesus in the Temple in Luke 2:22-33, we see him take Mary and Jesus to Egypt as they fled for their lives from Herod’s evil edict to destroy the firstborn in Matthew 2:13-23, and we see him take his family to the Passover in Luke 2:42-52. Four different accounts contain Joseph and in all four he is seen as obedient. He obeys the Lord by keeping his Law and by responding to the messages from the Lord.
We can learn quite a bit from Joseph.
Scripture References: Isaiah 7:14, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Joseph in the Bible (Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:22-33, Matthew 2:13-23, Luke 2:42-52)
Conclusion
My friends, you have heard the Word of God read and exposited. You have heard the way of salvation. When Joseph heard the words of God given to him by this angel, we are told that he obeyed.
I pray that if you have not been saved, if you have not placed your complete faith and trust in Jesus Christ, that you obey the Word of the Lord today. May you respond to the truth that our God is the God who saves and our God is the God who is with us. Respond to this free gift of eternal life given by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
As we come to a close, I ask that you all repeat after me the following statements:
The King Has Come. (repeat)
Salvation Has Come. (repeat)
Our God Is With Us. (repeat)