The Birth of Jesus.

Opening:

It is a beautiful thing to open the Word of God during Christmas time.

Introduction of the Passage:

We have been walking through various topics this Advent. We started by seeing the prophesies about Jesus’ first coming found all over the Old Testament. Then we examined the importance of the incarnation. We saw why it mattered that Jesus became a man. Now this morning we will be in Matthew 1:18-25. This is Matthew’s account of the birth of Christ. Luke focuses heavily on Mary. And for good reason. As Luke’s account says, Mary is forever blessed among women. She is an incredibly godly woman we should all revere.

But Matthew’s account gives a brief glimpse into Joseph’s perspective. And this morning we will be examining this. So stand with this in mind, please stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Reading of the Passage:

Matthew 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.

Behold, the Word of the Lord. Let’s pray.

Prayer:

Our gracious Heavenly Father, we commit this time in Your Word to You this morning. Please be with us and bless this time. May it be glorifying to you and edifying to us. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Introduction:

As I mentioned, Matthew focuses mainly on Joseph in this account. And it is interesting that we do not know much about Joseph. For example, we do not know even how old he was. It’s safe to assume he is likely older than Mary. But we do not know how much older. Mary is likely a young girl in her teens but certainly under 20. But for Joseph we just don’t know. Some church fathers think he was an older man and this was possibly his second marriage. Others think he was a young man not much older than Mary.

We just do not know. We also do not know what happens to him. It is safe to assume that he must have died at some point in Jesus’ life before Jesus’ ministry began. We know Joseph was there in Jesus’ young years. And we know he was well respected in Nazareth as a carpenter. But we do not know when or how he died.

But as interesting as the unknowns are, what we do know about him is even more interesting. He is really a model of a godly man. And I think this is why Matthew focuses on his perspective. In God’s providence, Luke was inspired to tell us much about Mary. But God inspired Matthew to focus here on Joseph.

Text Idea:

The idea of this passage this morning is Joseph obeys God in being the adoptive father of Jesus.

Sermon Idea:

Our main focus this morning in this message is to see the beauty of Christ’s birth from Joseph’s perspective.

Transition:

So let’s begin. The first thing we see in this passage is that Joseph discovers Mary is pregnant.

Joseph Discovers Mary is Pregnant.

Matthew 1:18–19 “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.”

Explanation:

Matthew opens by saying that this is how the birth of Jesus Christ happened. He is giving here a narrative list. These are the events that lead up to Christ’s birth. And Matthew gives more information to this than to the account of the actual birth. And the first thing Matthew says lead up to Jesus’ birth was that:

Joseph and Mary were betrothed.

Now in our terms we may say that they were engaged. But really, this does not give us the full context. A betrothal was more than an engagement. It was a legally binding agreement that could only be broken by death or by divorce. The couple would enter into this typically a year before the actual wedding. And during this time, they would not live together. The woman would still live with her parents. And most often betrothals were arranged marriages by the parents of the bride and groom.

This was a serious thing. It was as legally binding as a marriage. Your betrothed was not anything as crass as a boyfriend or girlfriend. They were considered to be you husband or wife already. You just could not actually come together.

And understanding the seriousness of this helps us understand what happens next.

Before they came together, Mary became pregnant.

Now obviously we understand what is happening here. Matthew makes it abundantly clear that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. This was a divine and supernatural thing.

Luke fills us in even more in Luke 1:26-38.

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!”

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

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.”

And Mary gives such a beautiful response in Luke 1:38 “38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”

But think of Joseph. He did not know any of this. After the angel told Mary this, she left for three months to be with her cousin Elizabeth. But as any mother will tell you, you cannot hide you are pregnant forever. And eventually, when Mary returned, it became known.

And we do not know how it became known. We see in Luke’s account how Elizabeth finds out. John the baptist starts worshipping Jesus in Elizabeth’s womb. But we do not know how Joseph found out. It is doubtful that Mary told him. During betrothals, the man and woman could not be alone together. And that is not really a conducive conversation to have in public. “Hey Joseph, and gathered family and friends. I’m pregnant! Surprise! An angel showed up and told me I would have a baby because the Holy Spirit would put a child into my womb. And that Child will be the Lord.” Who would believe her? Babies have always happened the same way for all of human history.

So it does not seem that Mary told Joseph. And I want to clarify that I do not attribute any malice here toward Mary. I imagine after seeing all she had seen, and having the faithful heart she clearly had, she likely simply trusted God to take care of things. She likely was simply being fully reliant on God. Because the reality is, she was trusting God with her very life.

And we see this in a way in our text. Matthew next tells us that:

Joseph was a just man.

Now some render this as “righteous” and that is certainly true. The word does mean righteous. But it means it in a particular way. It means that Joseph loved and obeyed God’s law. And if we understand betrothal and God’s law, we will see just how much danger Mary was in.

You see, according to God’s law, Mary was by all appearances guilty of adultery. And adultery carried capital punishment. The maximum penalty for adultery was to be stoned to death. A woman who had an affair during a betrothal was guilty of a horrific sin and crime. And with that came punishment. At the least there was public scorn and possibly a beating. But the highest punishment was the death penalty. And Joseph would have been legally justified to demand severe punishment.

In his eyes, his wife had betrayed him. And we know Joseph was a righteous man. He did not deserve this betrayal. She had stolen his marital rights from him. She had betrayed him in perhaps the most intimate way a man could ever be betrayed. He must have been crushed. He knew that now his reputation would forever be destroyed. He would always be known as the man Mary cheated on.

And this is why it is note worthy that the word “just” is used. Joseph is described as just. He knows God’s Law. And he would have known that Mary did not just betray him, but she betrayed God. And he would have known that this comes with eternal consequences. And I want to emphasize here that justice is good. It is good that sins are punished. It is good when God’s law is carried out. But we see here that justice is not the only good.

You see, Joseph was not only a just man.

Joseph was a merciful man.

Matthew 1:19“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.”

Joseph was just. He knew that there must be punishment. He knew that if Mary committed adultery against him and against God, he could not marry her. He knew this. But even in this, Joseph understood Micah 6:8 “8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Joseph embodies this. He knew he must divorce her. Justice demanded this. But Joseph would not seek personal vengeance against Mary. He must have been angry and hurt. But he refused to act on it. His plan was to be as gentle as he could. He would, in justice, love mercy. He would not demand the full punishment of the law. He would divorce her quietly. He would preserve as much of Mary’s integrity as he could.

Argumentation:

And really ponder what this means. In Joseph’s eyes, this woman has just committed the most grave sin she could have against him. And his response is one of mercy. In our culture we almost mock arranged marriages. We idolize emotional love. We see in movies how a man and woman lock eyes and feel a spark. And we call that love. Beloved, that is not even one drop in the bucket of love.

Joseph loved Mary more than any Hallmark romance movie protagonists could ever dream of. Because his love was one of true commitment toward Mary’s good. He loved her. He, even in seeming betrayal, was committed to do her good. This is true love.

Transition:

But then something amazing happens. Joseph has a dream.

Joseph’s Dream.

Matthew 1:20–23 “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.””

Explanation:

Can’t you just picture it with me. Joseph is crushed. He knows what he has to do. But he wants to be merciful. He desires to be as merciful as he can. He knows that God demands justice and mercy. He wants to do what is right. But before he acts, he goes to sleep.

What good advice that is. Blessed are those who do not act on impulse, but instead wait on God. How many times have we all just needed to sleep on a decision. And that seems to be what Joseph does. And then something glorious happens.

An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream.

We don’t know what angel this was. I tend to think it was Gabriel again. Gabriel went to John’s parents and to Mary. But we don’t know. And the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream.

And this was no ordinary dream. This was a vision. We see these happen rarely in Scripture, but it is interesting that when they do happen, there is zero confusion. It is not an ordinary dream. It is crystal clear that God is speaking to you. God speaks now to Joseph through an angel. The Lord sent this angel to Joseph to give him peace and clarity.

And the very first words are so pressing. The angel calls Joseph:

“Son of David.”

This is such an amazing point. It is almost certain that Joseph had never had this title given to him. But you see, Joseph was in direct lineage to David. Joseph was the son of the king. He was royalty. He was in direct succession to the throne of David.

And this title is so important because instantly Joseph, faithful Hebrew, would have had God’s promise to David come to mind. God promised that David would have a descendant sit on the throne for all eternity. The Messiah. The Son of David was promised. And during the time of slavery to Rome, all Jews longed for this promised king. they longed for the Son of David to come.

So that phrase would have instantly been a cue to perk up your ears. An angel, sent straight from heaven had come to Joseph, son of David to give a message. And what was the message?

Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

I cannot imagine the shock and also the relief Joseph must have felt. On one hand, relief. Mary did not betray him. He was not wrong about her. She was the godly woman he thought she was. She had not committed adultery! She was obeying God! And He could now take her as his wife.

But on the other hand, think of the shock. She was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The Son, in her womb, was the promised Savior. The little Child she was carrying was God Himself.

And Joseph was tasked to raise this Boy. He was charged with the protection, provision, and education of the Messiah. He was to be God the Son’s adoptive father. Who could stand before this task? Who was Joseph for such a thing?

But the angel continues.

Joseph is name the Child, Jesus.

Joseph is given the task of naming the Messiah. And he is to name Him, Jesus. The name Jesus is the same as the Hebrew name Joshua. Jesus is the Greek rendering of that name. But that name is so fitting. It means “God is our salvation” or literally “God saves.” It is the blending of the words for God and Salvation. Jesus is God our salvation. And this is what the angel says.

Jesus will save His people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21“21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.””

Jesus is at this moment in the story in Mary’s womb. God has come to save His people. I cannot imagine the emotions Joseph must be feeling. At long last, God is come. He has kept His promise. And Matthew clarifies.

This is to fulfill prophesy.

Isaiah 7:14“14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

God is keeping this promise. We looked in depth at this two weeks ago, so I won’t dwell on it. But suffice it to say, that now, after hundreds of years the promised virgin will give birth to the promised Son who will be God with us.

Transition:

How would you react if you had just heard this news? Joseph gives us the model.

Joseph Obeys.

Matthew 1:24–25“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.”

Explanation:

Joseph obeyed. Pure, simple obedience. When we know what God wants us to do, obedience is the only response. Simply obey. And we must note:

Joseph did not delay.

He was aroused from sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He immediately obeyed. Joseph is an incredible model of godliness. He did not wait. He obeyed. And he took Mary to himself.

This means the betrothal was done. He took her from her parents to be with him. This was the formal end of the betrothal period.

And we must not pass over the public scorn Joseph must have faced. To everyone else, Joseph was a fool. In their eyes, Mary had cheated on him. And he still took her as wife? Not only that, he took her Son as his own and raised Him in true fatherly love. Joseph was the epitome of fools to them. And to those who reject Christ, Joseph is still slandered to this day.

I saw just this last week a video of a group of orthodox Jews dancing and singing a song about Joseph and Mary calling her many rather colorful names for a harlot and repeatedly mocking Joseph in ways I think you can imagine. It was vile and disgusting. I cannot even mention the names they were using for the holy family from the pulpit. And they were laughing and dancing while mocking two of the most holy and righteous people to ever live.

But this was what Joseph and Mary faced. And in this, we must note the incredible godliness of Joseph. He did not care. He obeyed. Despite the consequences, the mocking, the destruction of his entire reputation, he was determined to obey God. This is faithfulness.

And Joseph also, in faithfulness, took on the responsibility to be the adoptive father to the Messiah. Mary was the mother to God the Son. Joseph was the adoptive father to God the Son. He protected Jesus. He worked hard to feed Jesus. He labored to teach his Son to walk, to talk, to grow. And Joseph is forever blessed. Think of this, Jesus, in human form likely sat on his adoptive father’s lap and heard Joseph tell Him about David, and Samson, and Noah. Joseph likely sang little Jesus psalms before bed. Psalms that were about Jesus were sang to Jesus by this man. Joseph sacrificed much, but He was able to love the Messiah and be a pivotal role in Christ coming to age. I am amazed by this.

And Matthew ends with one final note.

Joseph and Mary did not consummate their marriage until Jesus was born.

Joseph was very wise. He did not want any confusion. He did not want people to ever wonder if Jesus was his natural Son. He wanted everyone to absolutely clear that this was a supernatural thing. Mary was still a virgin. He did not know her until Jesus was born.

This again shows his faithfulness to God.

Conclusion:

In our final week of Advent, I want us to take to heart Joseph’s role in the lead up to the birth of Christ. I pray we are inspired by this faithful man’s example.

Visualization:

These are the events that happened directly before Jesus was born. The gospel account gives us the record of Jesus’ faithful earthly adoptive father who was committed to justice and mercy, but who above all was eager to endure anything in order to obey God.

Reiteration:

I am always amazed by Joseph. Every time we come to Christmas time, I am struck by how much I want to be like Joseph. I want to obey God as he did. And I want to always keep this godly man’s example before me.

Application:

And really that is one of our prime takeaways.

Be Like Joseph.

We could all learn from this man. We could all take many lessons away from his life. He is often only a background character in Scripture. But here, the Holy Spirit, through Matthew puts him to the front. And we should learn from him.

First.

Love justice and mercy.

Joseph is commended as being righteous because he loved justice and mercy. He loved the law of God. Do you? He sought to order his life around what God had commanded. Do you? Do you love the justice of God? Do you desire to see justice done? We all ought to love justice.

But more than this. We must also love mercy. Joseph sought to do justice. But he also desired to be merciful. So I ask you, do you love mercy? Are you consumed only with thoughts of how you have been wronged? Maybe you have been wronged. And maybe justice needs to be done. That is not wrong. But learn from Joseph. In justice, be merciful.

I often wonder what exactly Joseph was thinking. But I believe that he, as a true Christian, was reminded of how merciful God had been to him. He too was a sinner. But God had given him mercy. And so he was willing to show this mercy to others.

But perhaps most of all, we should emulate Joseph in this:

Obey God immediately.

Do not delay to obey God. If you know what God commands, do it. Likely all of us, if we examined ourselves, could find places in our own lives where we are slow to obey God. Why? Why do we do this? If we could learn from Joseph, I would have us all learn this. Obey God immediately. Do not delay. Obey God now. Stop delaying. Turn from your sins and obey Him like Joseph did.

Transition:

And that really brings us to the final point today. Joseph, as great as he is, is truly a background character. This is the final week of advent. Advent is ending, as is our study of Joseph. And interestingly Advent and Joseph have the same purpose. To point to Christ’s birth.

Joseph is a background character. But here he is given the spotlight for just a few verses in order to point us to Jesus. Joseph did many good things. But perhaps the greatest thing in this account he did, was give the Lord of Glory the name God had commanded. Joseph served to be a servant of Jesus. And that name “Jesus” means everything. It is truly the name above all names. For you see:

Jesus Has Come to Save You From Your Sins.

The reality is this is all about Jesus. Joseph existed for Jesus. That was His purpose. God created Joseph for the purpose of serving Jesus. He existed for Jesus. You and I exist for Jesus. And here is the truth above all other truths.

Jesus has come to save you. He has come to save you. God came to earth to set His people free from sin. He came and He died so that you and I could be free.

This is what we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus Christ, God with us, has come. The Lord of all creation is Jesus. God in human flesh. And He came to set us free. And His name is the sign of this. God saves. God our salvation has come.

The reality is that all of us are sinners. You and I have sinned. We all need a savior. The question is, are you trusting in Jesus or in something else? There is salvation found only in Jesus.

So I pray that we are all in awe of the name of our Savior, Jesus. I pray that above all else, we are in awe that God saves.

Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer:

Offering:

Offertory Prayer:

Benediction:

This Christmas, I pray:

2 Corinthians 13:14“14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Merry Christmas.

Amen.”