Living Love like Joseph
Living the Christmas Story • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
The idea of the Christmas story has been fascinating to us all over the years. We recognize the characters of the story pretty easily when we see a nativity or hear the familiar Christmas Carols. But what if there are some things you and I can learn as we look at these characters that come alive this time of the year? What if we actually can have the characteristics that they had and apply them in our lives this Christmas Season?
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and 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 be with child and will 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 had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
We first learn about Joseph a few verses earlier in the record of genealogy that shows the lineage of Jesus Christ traced back to Abraham. In verse 16, we learn that Joseph was the son of Jacob. We don’t know lots about this family, but we do know that they were descendants of David. We also see this in Luke’s portrayal of the birth of Christ.
Incidentally, some might question why this list is in the Bible and why it is important. There is a lot of pain described in this genealogy where pain, brokenness and hardship took place. Sounds like life in general right?
The truth of the matter is that in the line of Christ, there are many different races, many different sinful people, and that this King foretold was an extraordinary King for ordinary people. God designed this way.
Ordinary people, common folk that don’t have a chance any other way, but to have God use painful circumstances and difficult situations to accomplish extraordinary things!
He also designed some special things about Joseph to be the adoptive Father of this extraordinary King!
He also designed some special things about Joseph to be the adoptive Father of this extraordinary King!
The Bible goes to great lengths to declare the virgin birth.
If you combine the narrative of Luke and the narrative from Matthew we just read, we can piece together that Mary had to have told Joseph of her surprise pregnancy. Matthew leaves much for the reader to ponder just how upsetting this had to have been for Joseph.
Under Jewish law, Mary could have been stoned:
If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the girl because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.
We don’t learn about the implications or legal consequences here in Matthew’s gospel, but we do learn about Joseph’s character.
We learn that he had a love that only could come from God!
The first thing we see about Joseph is that he was a righteous man. He was a just man and faithful to the law. He did not want to expose her and developed a plan to resolve the situation quietly.
But God had another plan: God wanted Joseph to have a change of heart.
He gave him a dream in which the angel of the Lord appeared to him.
The word for angel here means messenger. Was this a winged creature?
Sometimes, angels might have the appearance of people.
I have often wondered if I have been helped by such.
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Hebrews
Hebrews 13:2
As I have read this, I wonder why Mary and Zechariah have an angel named Gabriel visit them in person and why Joseph has an unnamed angel in a dream? Perhaps this man needed a different approach and God decided to speak to him in that way.
Nevertheless, the first thing Joseph heard was don’t be afraid. When God calls you to do something, He has a way of presenting calm and peace, even if it is the opposite of what you feel you should do.
This righteous man that felt obligated to fulfill the law was asked to reconsider and trust. Sometimes love asks us to reconsider the most likely outcome and trust God with the results!
This righteous man that felt obligated to fulfill the law was asked to reconsider and trust. Sometimes love asks us to reconsider the most likely outcome and trust God with the results!
Sometimes you and I are at the end of our proverbial knot and trying to hang on when it seems that we are being torn upside down. God says trust me.
Joseph learned that Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit and the child she was carrying was to be named Jesus, because “He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus means Yahweh Saves, God to the rescue if you like!
It was a common name, but one that had an added meaning.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
Psalm 130:8
God has promised that he will provide a rescue from sin.
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Phillipians
Joseph was really told: Don’t be afraid of this mission to take Mary as your wife and to raise this child as your own.” Joseph was presented with the task of not only raising this child as his own, but raising this child who “will save his people from their sins.”
Verse 22 in this text reveals why this even happened. This happened to FULFILL what the Lord had said, particularly what had been said through the prophet Isaiah:
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”
Matthew
By the way, Matthew uses the word FULFILL 22 times in his Gospel. Think he was a student of the Word?
The next thing we learn about Joseph is his immediate obedience.
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Matthew 1:24-25
Final Observations
Final Observations
In all the narratives about Joseph, he never speaks. He is a man of action.
He led quietly but took care of the that which he was assigned.
He trusted His Lord in the most difficult of circumstances.