The Presence of His Coming

Mary Kuloba will have her baby on the fourth Sunday of advent.

Didn’t take me up on my offer to be part of the live nativity - not sure why.

I’m not sure of the child’s name but I have a suggestion.

Introduction

Big moments in life: First job, learning to drive, getting married.

Becoming a parent for the first time: everything changes

Matthew 1:18–25 (ESV) 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.

“birth” = genesis (not usual word for birth) AND Some manuscripts have simply “Christ”

— Matthew is not writing an interesting story about a unique boy. He’s not giving us a birth account. (i.e., “Let me tell you about the day my daughter was born. . .)

— Matthew is giving an account of the beginning of the Messiah‘s break into this world.

“Jesus is the reason for the season.” — Cute, but at best it’s only half-true. Jesus is the reason for EVERYTHING.

Jesus is not A part of the Christmas story just like Mary, Joseph, wisemen, shepherds, (Santa, Rudolph, elves, Mr. Narwhal, etc.) Jesus is THE main part of the story.

Illust - kids are notorious for missing the big picture — I tell them a great life story and they ask what my favorite flavor of ice cream was as a kid. .

Christmas season should be the time to remind ourselves of this, but more often it is the first thing to go in the rush.

If Satan cannot deceive you, he is happy to distract you.

**It’s all about Jesus. Matthew remembers this and reminds us of this.

God wants you to experience his presence

It is that simple and that profound

This is why God planned the Incarnation

God planned this. He directed this. This was no accident and it was not reactive. 

2 Timothy 1:9–10 ESV

9 [God} saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Galatians 4:4 ESV

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

If God would break into our physical world so we could know him and his presence in a real way that first Christmas, how would he not also desire to break into your life this Christmas for you to experience him in a real way?

If God would plan the perfect timing for Jesus’ arrival on this planet - how would He not also plan the perfect moments for you to experience his presence in your life

This is the reality of how God works in your life for you to know him. He plans it. He directs it. You’re here, aren’t you?

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. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

betrothal

Essentially married

Marriages were arranged

wait one year for test of purity

only way out of it was divorce

Imagine what it was like for Mary to try to explain her pregnancy and the difficulty for Joseph to believe her

Mary can’t hide it

Can you imagine the conversation Mary had with Joseph? Mary would tell Joseph to sit down and would say something like ~ “Sweetie, I need to tell you something. And before you say anything, I need you to hear me out and not jump to conclusions! I’m pregnant! But the good news is, it’s by the Holy Spirit!”

In Joseph’s eyes, either Mary was not pregnant, but crazy; or she is pregnant and she’s lying. Joseph had to decide if he stays with Mary, what will happen to him; and if he divorces her what will happen to him — and to her.

He’s marked for the rest of his life. If he’s the guy that got her pregnant, or she got pregnant with someone else, then, from that point on, he’s going to find it hard to find a job.

If he divorces her, what other father would want his daughter to marry him. Because the question is always going to remain . . . was Joseph the father?

Joseph - just (according to law), merciful.

Joseph settled on divorcing her

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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

The dream clears up some things and raises some questions, too!

clears up - Mary wasn’t lying

raises a lot of questions -

How will I take care of him

The presence of Jesus in your life is everything, and that changes everything.

Presence of Jesus in your life is everything:

ILLUST - when a new baby comes (especially the first) everything seems to focus around the child for a while. No one says, “Oh yeah, we had a baby.”

The angel tells Joseph that the baby Mary will deliver is not an ordinary baby.

Jesus is Emmanuel

Matthew grabbed a hold of a prophecy that by all accounts seemed to have nothing to do with Christmas.

It was a prophecy of Isaiah that was fulfilled in Isaiah’s day.

The prophecy was a sign for a man who was in a bad situation - facing external pressures and problems.

Ahaz, King of Judah (Israel split) refused to join with Israel and Syria to form an alliance against the world superpower, Assyria.

Because of this, the kings of Syria and Israel join forces and attack King Ahaz.

Instead of turning to God,

2 Kings 16:5–8 ESV

5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him. 6 At that time Rezin the king of Syria recovered Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah from Elath, and the Edomites came to Elath, where they dwell to this day. 7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria.

God promised to be with Ahaz

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)

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.

The sign would prove that God was with Ahaz.

This is significant in relation to other religions:

God is not standing afar

God is not “part of us” or “in us”

Jesus did not claim god-like status and seek to achieve it — an angel declared it before he was born!

GOD

Jesus’ divinity

In taking on humanity, Jesus did not lose his divinity

addition not subtraction

Colossians 1:19 (ESV)

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity

Always existed

The One who created the human race will now become part of it.

WITH

Jesus’ humanity

As Jesus was fully God, he was also fully human.

This moment would, in one sense, change Jesus forever.

He would now have a body forever.

Prior to this, he had no body.

emotions

John 11:35 (ESV)

35 Jesus wept.

Jesus ate

Jesus slept

Jesus died

US

Jesus is God with you.

Jesus didn’t need to come. But he did — for you.

This has personal implications for your life.

Changes your:

Present reality

The sign of Emmanuel for Ahaz was show Ahaz that present problems change with “Emmanuel” - he didn’t need to look to fix it himself or to align himself with ungodly means to solve it - God was with him

Eternal security

you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Jesus = Joshua = “Yahweh is Salvation”

save people from their sins - only way to God the Father!

Ongoing priority

Accepting the presence of Jesus into his life was not going to be a simple add on to his life - it was going to reorient all of his priorities in life

ILLUST - having a child will do that

Receiving the presence of Jesus into your life is not simply an add on - it is not even the same as having a new child - it is submitting to a king.

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 called his name Jesus.

I am sure Joseph still had questions:

“Thanks, angel, for getting me through naming him and thank you for telling me what he will be when he grows up, but there is a lot in between!”

How will I provide for us?

Why did you choose to do it THIS way?

What am I supposed to say to all the neighbors? My parents? Are you going to visit them, too? Can I get this all in writing?

You don’t need to know all of God’s plan to be a part of God’s plan.

He did what the angel commanded: 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 called his name Jesus.

The long walk with Jesus begins with a small step of obedience.

When you haven’t exercised you can’t just get up and run 5 miles. When you haven’t prayed in months, you don’t start with a goal of praying for 1 hour. When you haven’t read your Bible in awhile, you don’t start saying I’m going to read Genesis tonight! It does not happen that way.

Usually it’s small acts of obedience that get us started and it grows. And we want to see God’s action plan before we’ll commit. We want to know what He has in store for us. But Mary and Joseph didn’t have that. They were told they were going to have a son and He was going to be the Savior of the world.

They didn’t know details. And we don’t have to see the whole picture to put the first puzzle piece in place, and trust God with the rest. Because who’s responsible for the outcome? The outcome is God’s. What is our responsibility? Obedience!

You don’t need to know all of God’s plan to be a part of God’s plan.

You simply need to:

Know what God says

he did as the angel of the Lord commanded

Do what God says

While perhaps not through an angel in a dream, we know what God has said for us to do - follow Jesus, forgive, love our neighbor, honor your parents, etc.

Question: What if Joseph had said NO to the presence of Jesus in his life? What if Joseph had done what was easier?

What would have happened?

He continued with the divorce.

Keeps his reputation in the community while Mary is viewed poorly

Finds another young woman and settles down

Has a successful carpentry shop and retires well.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Reality is - he would have missed out on having the presence of Jesus in his life.

He would have missed out on being a vital part of God’s plan of redemption in the world.

He would have missed out on the miracles, the teachings, the adventure!

He would have seen Jesus from afar - perhaps once a week at synagogue but he would never have known the joy of having the presence of Jesus in his life daily!

All because he didn’t choose Jesus that Christmas.

Don’t let that happen to you this Christmas!

What is distracting you from prioritizing the presence of Jesus this Christmas?

Are you questioning God’s plan - how he is working in your life and waiting for the “right time” before you submit to his plan?

Maybe it wasn’t an angel in a dream but you know what God wants you to do and you’re still resisting.