Quiet Faithfulness (Matthew 1:18-25)
Matthew: The King Has Come • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Sermon
Sermon
Key Passage
Key Passage
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Introduction
Introduction
We are returning to the book of Matthew for our journey through the circumstances of the birth of Jesus.
We are taking a bit of a scenic journey through this because we have the privilege of lining up our series to our calendar.
By doing this, we get a fuller picture of this magnificent Biblical truth.
Two weeks ago, Christian walked us through the genealogy of Jesus.
We saw that Jesus’ lineage was anything but perfect. But it was important to understand the connection of Abraham to David and from David to Jesus.
Matthew communicates this in this way to show us that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham and God’s promise to David.
God’s word will always show itself to be true.
Last week, we took the time walking through the extended passage in Luke where the angel appeared to Zechariah and Elizabeth, then the same angel appeared to Mary.
Today, we pick up where that story leaves off
Mary has seen an angel telling her that she will become pregnant.
Not in the traditional method, but rather, she would become pregnant supernaturally.
Sermon
Sermon
I want to start by giving a story of celebration.
I want to highlight a couple people in our church. He won’t want to be highlighted, but I feel that we should do this.
We have a guy and his wife that likely very few of you know.
Nick showed up at church one Sunday a few years ago and recognized Christian.
Through that friendship, Nick wanted a place to play.
Nick has a rare and valuable skill set that has to do with technology, audio, and video.
He shows up at this place every week around 6:30 a.m.
He stays and is the last guy out of the door.
The fact that you can hear my voice right now and the squeaks, squawks, and buzzing and humming that we used to have are gone is a testament to his skill set.
We have video, audio and also with the help of his team, he helps broadcast this sermon online where there will be 40-50 additional people who will watch this.
Also, he takes our garbage to the dump on his way home.
That is all besides the point that his wife, Jenny comes into this building and cleans every Monday.
There is a reason you can sit here without sticky floors and your kids have freshly vacuumed rugs in the children’s rooms.
No one knows Nick and Jenny. But they are a vital part to the Gospel being presented every Sunday.
I will tell you that Nick probably won’t want you walking back to his work station back there to shake his hand.
He doesn’t look for your credit or glory.
He also doesn’t want you to trip over wires or mess up his process.
But Heaven sees what the world overlooks.
And that is what I know Nick and Jenny keep their eyes on.
Their quiet faithfulness is a wonderful example of the story of Joseph that we see in the Bible today.
Luke emphasized Mary in the angelic visit story.
Matthew emphasizes Joseph and I think it is interesting that he does
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about:
Matthew begins this passage by telling the entire story.
First of all, he identifies Jesus by name.
As we just read, you see that Jesus isn’t named until the last verse of our passage today.
So Matthew is giving us the editorial comment about the magnitude of what this story contains.
Matthew identifies Jesus as the Messiah.
This has been established that Jesus was in the lineage of the Messiah in the passage before.
But there were a lot of people in the lineage of the Messiah. That doesn’t mean that they were all the Messiah.
Matthew will take the next 27 chapters to show us in tremendous detail that Jesus Christ is THE MESSIAH that was prophesied about in the OT.
What is the Messiah?
If you are new to the whole church thing, we need to know what a Messiah was.
Messiah means, “Anointed One”
As a nation, Israel existed as a nation with a king for generations.
Then because of their disobedience to God, God allowed other nations to drive them into exile
Ultimately, they were allowed to return to Israel, rebuild their walls and temple, but they did not have any new kings.
They still had the lineage of kings, but there was no national throne for that king.
The structure was not in place for a king.
So the people were awaiting a king.
A king that they thought would come and rebuild the nation of Israel and establish the throne again like David had done.
This is the point that Matthew is making here.
Jesus is that king. But what we will discover through his selective biography is that Jesus is not the king that the people were wanting or expecting.
They wanted their nation back
Jesus came in to usher in a Kingdom, not a nation.
I’m going to let that rest here. Because Matthew will present this Kingdom that Jesus came to reveal and establish during the rest of the book.
Matthew opens up with these explosive words, so the reader knows that this is not some ordinary birth.
Rather, this is the birth of a King.
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Ok, we need to talk about a few cultural pieces here.
First of all, we see that Mary was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit
This is what we talked about last week.
Mary had been with no man, but yet, she had become pregnant.
This was a part of God’s plan and His will.
Jesus would be fully God (Father) and fully man (Mary).
This is how the love of God and the justice of God are seen in one person for all of humanity.
Humanity could not make itself right before God because we are sinful
So God became human and did our part for us so that through Him we can have salvation.
If you missed that sermon, please go watch last weeks sermon.
There is also a cultural piece that we need to understand about this time period.
We will see that it says that “Mary was pledged to be his wife”
Then in the next verse, Joseph is called her husband and that he was going to divorce her.
This probably sounds odd to us, because it would be odd to us.
In our culture, people meet, date for a while, get engaged, then at any point up to the point of “I do” if they break up, it is just that, a break up.
Nothing legal, nothing massive.
But it seems that they were engaged and Joseph had popped the question to Mary, and she said yes, then when he wanted to break up, he had to go to the courthouse and file for divorce.
Like I said, that seems odd to us. So let me break this down so we can understand what the customs are here.
Hebrew Marriage:
Likely an arranged marriage
Contracts negotiated (husband & wife)
One year living with parents
Grand procession to get wife
Live together
Likely an arranged marriage
I know this removes some of the romance factor from the story, but likely Mary was chosen by Joseph’s parents as a wise choice to connect their families.
Contracts negotiated
The parents (patriarchs) would negotiate out the price for the bride.
There would be payment to the brides family.
Once the contract was finalized, the purchase of the bride was complete.
They were now considered husband and wife.
One year with parents
A part of the brides obligation in the marriage contract was the assurance of her purity.
She would live with her parents for one year.
The husband would also remain living with his parents for one year.
If the bride did not show up pregnant during that year, her purity would be assured
Grand processional
The husband would then bring a big wedding party to the brides house and there would be a celebration and feast as the husband would take the bride and they (and their families) would celebrate the marriage.
Live together
It is after the celebration that the husband would take the wife into his own home and they would live together as husband and wife.
We can see in this story that Joseph had already negotiated his contract for Mary and they were in the 1 year purity time.
However, during this one year, Mary ends up pregnant.
To Joseph, he has the legal right to go back to the parents of Mary, and divorce himself from her and get his portion of the contract returned to him.
It would be a massive disgrace for the woman and her family.
This is where we begin to see the silent story of Joseph.
Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
The end of verse 18 says that it was found that Mary was pregnant.
The discovery of her pregnancy hit the news-waves. Clearly not public information to the community, but Joseph found out.
Here is what we learn about Joseph. Here is where I want us to begin our journey of learning quiet faithfulness.
Joseph was faithful to the law
The first thing this verse says is that Joseph was faithful to the law.
There are a few things that are in play for this sentence to make sense.
Joseph knew the law of God
Joseph obeyed the law of God.
Joseph may or may not have been an educated man. But we do know that he took the time to learn God’s law and have an obedient heart.
Here is what I love about Joseph
He had every right to use the law as a weapon against Mary.
There was space under the law to publicly humiliate her and punish her.
If this was Joseph’s heart, I don’t think Matthew would have said he was “faithful” to the law.
Joseph not only knew the law, but he knew the heart behind the law.
This was His faithfulness.
His faithfulness to the heart of God is seen when Mary ends up pregnant during the 1 year waiting period.
He can use the law as a weapon. In fact, that was likely the expectation. It was his right in this circumstance
But he had a dilemma.
Do you see the law, then the contrary means that he approached it? “And yet, he did not want to publicly disgrace her.”
He laid down his rights for the benefit of Mary
This is the heart of God in this circumstance.
Do you think God love Mary?
Do you think that God showed grace to Mary?
We are sitting on the outside of the story and we already know that Mary had seen an angel.
We already know that she was pregnant, not because she was cheating on Joseph, but rather because she too was faithful to God.
Joseph demonstrates an integrity and grace and faithfulness to the nature of God in this situation.
I want to approach this from an applicable level here.
At Real Life, we often talk about our church being one that is built on a Biblical foundation
We must do this! However, if we ONLY build on a biblical foundation and do not have love (1 Corinthians 13), then we are a terrible sound in God’s ear.
Some of the smartest Bible people you know are also the most divisive, angry, lousy people you’d ever want to be around.
They may know the Bible, but they do not have a faithfulness to the Scriptures and the author of the Scriptures.
Faithfulness is an understanding of God’s Word and God’s nature.
It is the heart of every disciple of Jesus
I believe it was the heart of Joseph
He was faithful to God and His law and he demonstrated grace and love to Mary.
We live in a world of sinners. We really do.
We’ve talked about this before. If our hearts are hearts of condemnation, judgment, and rebellion, we will never see God’s glory through us.
John 3:18-19 says that in this world, sinners stand condemned by their sin already.
We are not called to condemn, rather we are called to show the love of Jesus. Jesus came to save sinners, not condemn them.
They are already condemned
Having the heart of God means that we lay down our rights
Quiet Faithfulness:
Have the heart of God
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Literally, we see that Joseph had made this plan. He had decided his course.
It was a course that held to his right of divorce, but he did so with integrity and compassion.
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.
This had to be a wild dream
Last week, we talked about angels.
This isn’t fat Valentine's Day baby angels shooting hearts
This isn’t long blond hair angels from the paintings
This is a real angel of power and awe that resides in the presence of the Almighty God.
The angel gives Joseph the message to take Mary home as his wife.
This is the work of God
She will give birth to a son
He is to name this son Jesus
He is to do this because He will save his people from their sins
First off, the angel give the entire Gospel to Joseph in this moment.
I don’t think anyone had ever been given a clear and comprehensive Gospel to this point.
Joseph was the first.
Here is why I say this is the Gospel
Do we see Jesus at the center of this message?
Is this a message of Good News?
Does it say that through Jesus we will find forgiveness of our sins and salvation from the consequence of sin?
Who is presenting the message? An angel.
If we were to dip that into the Greek language for a moment, here is what is looks like.
The word for “angel” is “angelion”
It means messenger. It is also the name given for angels. Angels are messengers of God.
The Greek word we translate to Gospel is “Ev-angelion”
“Messenger of Good”
So when we proclaim the Gospel, we are being an Evangelion and we are presenting the Evangelion.
The Gospel that you live is the Gospel you preach.
Our lives literally become the good news.
In this case, it was literally an angelion that was presenting the good news about Jesus.
Joseph saw all of this.
Another piece we need to see here is where the story revolves.
What does Joseph get out of this story?
Almost nothing.
What the angel reveals to Joseph is that he should take Mary home as his wife.
No big celebration
He is bypassing his right to ensure her purity
In fact to everyone around, it looks very much like she has not been pure in her vows.
He is taking on her shame as he takes her into his home to be his wife.
What does the angel say Joseph will get out of this deal.
Nothing.
The world will get salvation.
Mary will get Joseph
Joseph will have to raise a son that is not his.
What Joseph discovers in this is that the world does not revolve around him.
The world does not revolve around humanity.
This is not our world that God interacts with.
This is God’s world, God’s calendar, God’s timelines, and God’s glory, not ours.
This is where we get our whole existence mixed up.
We think the world revolves around us. It doesn’t
Joseph surrendered his will to God’s
Quiet Faithfulness:
Have the heart of God
Surrender our will to God
I want you to see this.
This is a massive sacrifice
We all default to our lives through our own eyes.
I want my friends and family healthy and happy.
I want my life happy and healthy
We are all overwhelmed and consumed by our perspective of this world.
When I See the World Through My Eyes:
God exists to meet my needs
I measure God’s goodness by my comfort
Obedience is optional, or a bargaining tool
When I See the World Through My Eyes:
People are tools or obstacles to my life
I seek control, not surrender
“My kingdom come. My will by done.”
1. God Exists to Meet My Needs
Prayer sounds like: "God fix this, give me that, make life easier."
Frustration comes when He doesn’t respond how or when I want.
2. I Measure Goodness by Comfort
If life is smooth, God is good.
If life is difficult, I feel abandoned or confused.
3. Obedience Is Optional or Bargaining
My desires, goals, and ambitions set the agenda.
I obey God mostly when it benefits me or aligns with my plans.
4. People Are Tools or Obstacles
I evaluate others based on how they affect my life.
Compassion fades because everything revolves around me.
5. I Seek Control, Not Surrender
Fear increases when I can’t predict outcomes.
I carry burdens alone because I believe control equals safety.
When I See the World Through God’s Eyes:
God doesn’t exist to serve me—I exist to serve Him
I measure goodness by His presence, not my comfort
Obedience becomes worship, not negotiation
When I See the World Through God’s Eyes:
People become souls to love, not tools to use
I choose trust over control
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done”
1. God Doesn’t Exist to Serve Me — I Exist to Serve Him
Prayer sounds like: "Your will, not mine. Shape me. Use me."
I trust Him even when He says no or wait.
2. I Measure Goodness by His Presence, Not My Comfort
I realize trials can refine me instead of ruin me (James 1:2–4).
I know He works all things for good—even pain (Romans 8:28).
3. Obedience Becomes Worship, Not Negotiation
I follow Christ out of love, not convenience (John 14:15).
I release my plans when His call leads differently.
4. People Become Souls to Love, Not Tools to Use
I see image-bearers, not irritations.
I seek to serve, reconcile, forgive, bless.
5. I Choose Trust Over Control
Peace increases even when life is unsettled.
I believe God’s sovereignty is better than my strategy.
I’m going to skip verses 22-23 and we will conclude with that.
It is another editorial comment by Matthew that carries significant importance.
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
So Joseph wakes up from this wild dream and did exactly what the angel instructed him to do.
He went and took Mary home as his wife
Was there time for the big parade and celebration? No.
This would be eye-opening to the traditional Jewish person at that time.
It would become obvious why the process was rushed in a few months when the baby was born.
People back then may not have been able to read or other things, but they could certainly do the math and it added up to things happening that shouldn’t be happening with Mary and Joseph.
In spite of the potential hit to his reputation, Joseph obeyed in quiet humility.
I think verse 25 is a beautiful testament to the quiet obedience that Joseph displayed.
Who would know these details?
Only Mary and Joseph would know this.
Certainly very few people would believe this. There is only one way a woman gets pregnant.
Quiet Faithfulness:
Have the heart of God
Surrender our will to God
Heaven sees what the world overlooks
Joseph didn’t do this to build his reputation. In fact, the angel didn’t even ask Joseph to do this.
But Joseph was a faithful man that didn’t want to be seen as the big noise in the room.
His silent humility and obedience is an example to us all.
I want you to see this.
How much of the world has heard of Joseph?
Much of the world has heard of Mary and Joseph.
I’m going to show you a slide of every word that is recorded in the Bible that Joseph said.
I think you should underline this in your Bible because it is significant:
Every Word By Joseph in the Bible:
That is all of them.
There is no instance in the Bible of Joseph ever saying a word. It doesn’t mean that he didn’t say words, but there is nothing recorded that he said.
He was faithful with his part.
We don’t even know what happened to Joseph.
He shows up when Jesus is 12, but is never heard from again.
Did he die? Did something happen? We just don’t know.
Nor should we.
He had a part to play. It was an important part.
But it wasn’t a part for Him. It was a part that would bring glory to God in this world.
When we look at Joseph, we all think of Jesus.
That is exactly the way it should be.
When people look at me do they think the same thing?
That is the question we should all think about.
Conclusion
I want to conclude with the verses that I skipped:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Gospel— Jesus is God in the flesh...
Quiet Faithfulness:
Have the heart of God
Surrender our will to God
Heaven sees what the world overlooks
A quiet faithfulness is something God uses in this world.
Directed Prayer/Communion
