Untitled Sermon

Out of all the characters in the Christmas narrative, Josephis the one most overlooked and forgotten. Someone pointed out that: “there is no place in God’s word where any of Joseph’s words were recorded.” And yet I believe we can learn a great deal from Joseph.

Two men named Joseph ministered to Jesus, 1. one at the beginning of His earthly ministry—Joseph of Nazareth. 2. and the other at the end of His life on earth—Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:38–42). 1) The first was there for His birth and 2) the second was there after His death. 1> The first was poor while 2> the second was rich, but both of them were God’s chosen servants. Sense it is Christmas eve, we will look at Joseph, of Nazareth: the man who was foster father to Jesus while on earth.

I. Joseph the Man

It is generally agreed that A) the genealogy found in Matthew 1 is that of Joseph and B) the one in Luke 3:23–38 is Mary’s. Mary and Joseph both belonged to the house of David.

Joseph is called “a righteous man” (Matt. 1:19), which means he respected the Jewish law and sought to obey it. ***1) This is clearly seen in Luke 2:21–40 when he and Mary brought Jesus to the temple for His circumcision and then His dedication. & ***2) Joseph was also accustomed to celebrating Passover each year in Jerusalem (vv. 41–51).

The people called Jesus “the carpenter’s son” (Matt. 13:55), which means that Joseph: A) worked with his hands and B) was known among the people. *1> *He made, and repaired things made of wood, such as furniture, carts, and plows. Normally we think of wood-framed houses where the doors and windows are made of wood. But the houses of that time and place were generally made of stones. There was a lot of it, and it was durable. Yet carpenters were needed, and they worked alongside stonemasons. *2> The fact that Joseph and Mary offered the least expensive sacrifices in the temple (a pair of turtledoves) suggests that Joseph was a poor man (Luke 2:24; Leviticus 12). Which is what God the Father designed. Paul writes in -2 Corinthians 8:9 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.(ESV). It was for you that He did this. That’s Joseph the man. Now let’s look at:

II. Joseph the Husband

Mary was probably in her teens when her parents (or guardians) consented to her entering into engagement (betrothal) to marry Joseph. ***1) You must commend the parents for looking at Joseph’s character and not his income. 2) And we must also commend Josephfor desiring a Godly woman like Mary for a wife. ***During the year of “engagement,” they were looked on as husband and wife – though they were not married yet. The ceremony would come later. (see Deut. 22:23–24; Matt. 1:20). The only way to break the engagement was to get a divorce. That’s how strong the engagement was. ***This is what Joseph planned to do. He was about to write a certificate of divorce when he discovered his fiancé Mary was pregnant. ***But as you know God intervened with an angel who spoke to him in a dream and told him what he should do. We read of it is Matthew 1:20–21 2… “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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”(ESV). Joseph obeyed. **3) Joseph seems to have been a patient man who didn’t make decisions impulsively; àwhen he knew what God wanted him to do, he obeyed immediately. 4) As you know this was a very delicate situation. People most certainly might have misunderstood. There would have been considerable town gossip. People would have been talking about it. Some think that the statement addressed to Jesus in John 8:41, “We are not illegitimate children,” was meant to slander Jesus by questioning His birth. ***But Joseph was not only an obedient man to God’s word, he was a man of faith and courage- who loved his fiancé and remained faithful and pure the entire time. That’s Joseph the man, and Joseph the Husband. But there is one more thing we want to look at, and that is

III. Joseph the Foster Father of Jesus

When Mary and Joseph married, Joseph became the legalfather of Jesus and therefore had authority to name the child. Which he did. Listen to Matthew 1:24–25 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he (Joseph) called his name Jesus.(ESV). It’s noteworthy that Joseph’s genealogy calls Joseph “the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (v. 16). **Mary’s genealogy records it this way in Luke 3:23 says, “He [Jesus] was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,” That phrase: so it was thoughtcan be translated “as accounted by law” or “as written in the family register.” He was the legal fathereven though he was not the biological father. ***During His ministry, Jesus was called “the son of Joseph” by the people, but they didn’t understand that Jesus came into the world through a miraculous birth – born of the Holy Spirit. (4:22; John 1:45; 6:42; see also Matt. 13:55).

By taking Jesus as his own son, Joseph gave Him a legal name, the name God had commanded— the name Jesus (1:25; Luke 1:31; 2:21). 1) Joseph also provided the care and protection both Mary and the baby needed. ***And you remember those were dangerous times. A) He took them down to Egypt when King Herod was seeking to kill the baby Jesus, and B) when they returned to Israel, he took them to Nazareth to live. He cared for and protected them. 2) Whenever God gave directions to Joseph, he listened and obeyed. 3) As the Lord Jesus grew up, Joseph taught Him his tradeand Jesus was known as “the carpenter” Mark 6:3 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”….(ESV). Wow! – so Mary and Joseph had other children. /**4) There is no record that Joseph the carpenter ever preached a sermon or did a miracle, but 1> as a faithful Jew, 2> a loving husband, and 3> a godly parent, >>he simply served the Lord and glorified Him. Which is what we are called to do. We are to it like Joseph – Faithfully, courageously and lovingly. This is what Jesus did. And He did so that you might be free from sin’s penalty. He took your place so that you might enjoy eternal life. If only you would be honest about your need of Him. 1. If only you would admit your sin and 2. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God. The savoir. 3. If only you would call upon His name. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.(ESV) That’s what Christmas is all about. Would you listen to the calling?