Divine Blueprints: Unveiling God's Masterful Plan

Reading of the Word of God

Matthew 1:18–25 NASB 2020

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had thought this over, 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 Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he named Him Jesus.

Introduction

In this sermon, we will explore the narrative in Matthew 1:18-25, where the birth of Jesus is foretold and the divine plan unfolds. Delving into the intricacies of God's design, we'll discover how the events surrounding Jesus' birth reveal a incredibly crafted plan that brings salvation to humanity. I hope it will unravel the layers of God's wisdom, love, and purpose, and help us explore how we can align our lives with His divine blueprints for a meaningful and purposeful journey of faith. He calls us to be faithful to His will for our lives but we have to say yes for that to happen.

Joseph’s Plan

The problem: Mary is pregnant.

Naturally, he would have thought that this happened because she was unfaithful to him.

It had to of broken his heart.

He had a very deep love for her and now it was gone.

Joseph devising a plan on how to deal with this.

He knew he had to break it off with her. It was the law and also a result of her infidelity. It could have been done in one of two ways:

1. He could have done it publically and made a spectacle of it and embarrassed Mary.

It could have led to her death because of the law concerning this situation.

2. He could do it quietly and keep it a private ordeal so that it could be dealt with in a civil and orderly manner. He wanted to spare her disgrace. It was an example of the love he had for her, even in this situation.

The whole process of betrothal and marriage was totally different from what we see today.

Betrothal, the pledge to marry, was a solemn contract between the parties, and lasted for a year before the couple were married in the full sense. Thus it was far more binding than our engagement. Indeed, it could be terminated only by divorce. Complete marriage, and the sexual union that goes with it, came at the end of the year of betrothal

Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 61.

He then has a visit of an angel to him in a dream

Don’t be afraid to take her as your wife.

This didn’t happen because of infidelity but because of a miracle by the Holy Spirit.

This is just God’s plan coming to reality.

It is God’s plan so it will be OK.

He didn’t second guess what he had to do after the appearance of the angel with this message.

He will reveal Himself to us through a man who is fully God named Jesus.

Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has a major role in the creation of the world. Now He would have a major role in the creation of our Savior to remedy the problem of sin.

This is no ordinary pregnancy. This child is God coming to us in the flesh of mankind.

Having prepared us through the genealogy for the appearance of the most important birth in all history, Matthew tells us in no uncertain terms who this baby is. He does so by unmistakable allusions to two Old Testament passages. The child is Immanuel and he is Jesus.

Immanuel (23) means ‘God is with us’. It is not a prayer. It is a statement.

This birth is the miracle above all other miracles.

Miracles are simply God at work in history.

A virgin giving birth is something many people don’t believe because they don’t think God can work miracles such as this. Nothing is impossible with God!

Luke 1:37 NASB 2020

For nothing will be impossible with God.”

In his book, Every Deep-Drawn Breath, Critical Care Doctor Wes Ely explores the ordinary miracle of taking a breath. We take for granted our ability to breathe. We do it again and again, one breath after another, without thinking. Yet the lungs are incredibly complex, the respiratory system made up of so many different actors, structures, and functions. Cells with hair like projections called cilia move fluid, goblet cells secrete mucus, and column-like cells line and protect. Our lungs have cells that are integral parts of our nervous system, lymphatic system … and immune system. They contain cartilage, elastic tissue, connective tissue, muscle, and glands, and all of this gives rise to a system of airways that is 1500 miles long, from New York City to Dallas, and filters every ounce of air entering the body. Dr. Ely feels so much admiration for the simple process of taking a breath that he compares it to how “an artist admires a Rembrandt [painting], the way the light, the colors, the brushstrokes all work together to create something more.”

Source:

Dr. Wes Ely, Every Deep-Drawn Breath (Scribner, 2021) p. 50

If God can do something as amazing as this, He can allow the Holy Spirit to allow the Messiah to take on flesh and dwell among us.

God’s Plan

To save us from sin.

Psalm 130:8 NASB 2020

And He will redeem Israel From all his guilty deeds.

Here, we are told that ‘God will redeem Israel from all their sins.’ Isn’t that interesting? God promises that he will provide a rescue from sin; and, centuries later, Jesus comes to do it

Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 60.In all of this, prophecy would be fulfilled; God’s promises would be kept.

Against this background Matthew claims, not that God has given us a representation of himself, but that he has come in person to share our situation. What a claim, right at the outset of the Gospel! It is so ultimate, so exclusive. It does not fit with the pluralist idea that each of us is getting through to God in his or her own way. No, says Matthew. God has got through to us in his way. And Jesus is no mere teacher, no guru, no Muhammad or Gandhi. He is ‘God with us’. That is the essential claim on which Christianity is built. It is a claim that cannot be abandoned without abandoning the faith in its entirety.His Ultimate Goal: He will save people from their sinsJesus (21). That word, too, has a meaning: ‘Yahweh saves.’ ‘God to the rescue’, if you likeAnd he has come for the specific purpose of rescuing them from the mess they have got themselves into. Christianity is not good advice about morals. It is good news about God and what he has done for us.

Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 60.Our Plan

He came to redeem us. He understands our weakness and because of that He understands why we need Him to save us.

What does it mean to be redeemed?

It simply is the face that we are released from the bondage of sin through the payment of Jesus at the cross.

"Redemption is not just about being saved from something; it's about being saved for something greater." - Lisa Harper

"No one is too broken, too lost, or too far gone for redemption. God's grace is greater than our failures." - Rick Warren

"Redemption is the divine exchange where God takes our ashes and gives us beauty, our mourning and gives us joy." - Beth Moore

Jesus was one of us. He understands.

When we minimize His humanity in order to magnify His deity we are not being true to the Scriptures. Jesus was truly God and truly man. Though no finite mind can ever explain this mystery, faith accepts it as true. We do not understand the relationship, but we must believe the fact on the authority of God’s word. When we do accept it, we find it filled with wonderful comfort and strength. As God He is able to save us from sin and make us more than conquerors. As man He is able to sympathize with our human weakness and help us (Heb. 2:17–18).

To allow the Gospel message to go forth throughout the world so that all may hear it and have the opportunity to place their faith in Christ.

This Good News is shared to the world in so many different ways in Scripture:

God speaks through history. Look at how God worked throughout all of human history, even to this very day. Look at your own life. How has God worked through the history of your life? Point proven.

God speaks through dreams. Five times in the first 2 chapters of Matthew he does this very thing. He still does this today.

God speaks through angels. They appear in spiritual dreams or visions. I don’t know if any of us have experience in this area but there are countless stories of others that do.

God speaks through Scripture. The Old Testament fulfilled in the New Testament.

Through Emmanuel, “God with us.” God has revealed Himself and has spoken in a powerful way through Jesus’ words and actions.It is also shared through us. We use many of the ways just noted to share it ourselves. An idle church is a disobedient church. A disobedient church is a unfruitful church. An unfruitful church is a useless church for the Kingdom of God.

The greatest tragedy of human life is divine blessings missed because of disobedience.

Our Plan

Joseph is not passive throughout this text but He plays an active and critical role in God’s will being fulfilled.

You call Him Jesus. Joseph had it revealed to him exactly why Jesus came to earth and His name would share that with the world.

What a gracious name for the Son of God who became Son of Man. Jesus is God brought near. He came to earth to reveal the heavenly Father, whose love desires to save every human being. He dwelt among men that they might see God (John 14:9). But He has also promised: “Lo, I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20).He did as the angel instructed him to

i. Took her as his wife

ii. In this, He was obedient to God’s plan so that God’s will could be done through His obedience.

The Gospel is also shared through us.

We use many of the ways just noted to share it ourselves.

An idle church is a disobedient church. A disobedient church is a unfruitful church. An unfruitful church is a useless church for the Kingdom of God.

The greatest tragedy of human life is divine blessings missed because of disobedience.

A simple question we have to ask ourselves is if God calls us to do something, will we just be obedient to Him, trusting in His divine plan and providence to fulfill this plan?

What an example of a beautiful family we have in Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

It shows us how a family that seeks and follows the Lord can be beautiful and united together.

The attack on the family is greater than ever before.

The world normalizes things such as divorce

There are situations where divorce is the most realistic route to take. But God did not create divorce and it is not a part of God’s plan for the family. It many times causes division, strife, hatred and hurt.

God forgives and redeems those who have gone through a divorce.

Divorce is NOT the unpardonable sin.

Abuse is happening more than ever before.

Physical, emotional, financial, spiritual.

People must get out of these situations. They 9/10 will never improve and can lead to tragic endings.

Story of abuse early in my ministry

Time is being given to everything else except the family

Families are consumed with activities that take away from time together.

Sports, technology, social obligations, work and school pressures and stress and fatigue just to name a few.

Families think that it is normal to totally fill up their calendar with everything imaginable.

It is OK to have free time!

Families need to spend time together and have fun, rest, and seek God together.

Children need this example today so this situation doesn’t get worse in the future.

Can we invest more in our family? Can we make sure that we do everything in our power to draw close to God together as families so that He can draw us closer together to each other?

The New Year is here. What will your plan be?

This was never planned to be a New Year’s sermon, but God had other plans.

I do not like New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions many times seem to be self-centered. Self-Centered resolutions always lead to failure because we are trying to find the strength in ourselves instead of God. Instead, I want us to seek God and ask what He wants of us in the New Year. Instead of resolutions, I want plans and purposes that are God led and will have an impact for His Kingdom.

What does He want for us as individuals? As a family? As a church? As a community?

This is why in a few weeks we are having a church planning session. I want us to seek out God’s plan. I want your input. I want us to draw closer together so that we can have a greater impact for Jesus. Lord, give us your vision for 2024!

To Sum It Up

Jesus is no ordinary baby, but literally “God with us.” Jesus’ birth is not just a story, but a life-changing event that should give our lives purpose and direction.

Conclusion

God truly changes things! Look what He did so that the world could be given hope, light and life again. Our God is simply amazing. He used normal people like Mary and Jospeh to show us that He can use you and I in the same way, if we are just willing to submit to His plan. Just do it! I don’t want you to miss incredible blessings because you didn’t follow His plan. God is at work! May we just seek His face, turn from our ways and in the New Year allow Him to renew us, to give us a fresh start so that we can do amazing things that draw others to Jesus.

As your pastor, I love you! I am here for you and to help you in any way that I can make sure that you follow what God has in store. Contact me. I’d love to talk with you, pray with you, give you practical ways to follow God in your situations and the list goes on. I will listen and never judge. I will love and point you to Jesus. The love you have shown us since our arrival is the same love I have to show you.

The greatest thing you can do for me in this new year is to pray for me. I cannot do it without your prayers. They are something I treasure and that inspire me and help me move forward in seeking God’s plan for this church. Take that 7:28 note on the bulletin seriously. Set an alarm. Lift up a 20 second prayer for me and for my family. Prayer is where the power lies.

Happy New Year. I thank God for this past year. Wow what a journey it has been. I am going to write a new blog on the church website this week about that journey. I will send out a text when it is posted. Can’t wait to share some of this insight with you!

Prayer After Sermon

I come before you with a heart open to your guidance and a spirit ready to follow your will. Lord, I acknowledge your sovereignty and wisdom, knowing that your plans far surpass my own understanding.

In my quest to discern your will, I surrender my desires and plans to you. Help me to align my heart with yours, and grant me the humility to accept your guidance, even if it differs from my own desires. Your ways are higher than mine, and your thoughts are beyond my comprehension.

Grant me the clarity of mind and the discernment of spirit to recognize your voice amid the noise of the world. May your Holy Spirit guide me in making decisions that are pleasing to you and in alignment with your purpose for my life.

I seek your will, O Lord, not only for the major decisions but also for the small and seemingly insignificant choices I make each day. Let your light illuminate my path, and may I walk in the confidence that comes from following you.

I trust in your unfailing love and mercy, knowing that even when I falter, your grace is sufficient. Lead me, Lord, and I will follow. Open doors that align with your will and close those that do not.

Thank you for your promise to direct my steps. May I find joy and fulfillment in surrendering to your perfect plan. I pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

Amen.

Benediction

May the New Year bring you God's blessings of love, joy, and peace. May you face challenges with strength, embrace opportunities with enthusiasm, and walk in the light of His wisdom. May your journey be guided by faith, filled with purpose, and surrounded by His protective hand. May you be a source of kindness and inspiration to others. May your days be marked by gratitude and your path be one of divine surprises. As we depart, may Almighty God, Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, go with you now in peace as you serve the Lord and one another. Amen.