Advent 2004 -3- Christmas Messengers Bring Us Joy

Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

“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 1:23 (NIV)

I.   A Scandalous situation (1:18-19)

     A.  Pre-marital Pregnancy

           1.  A scandal as old as teen-age hormones

           2.  God-followers don’t do this

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Eph. 5:3)

           3.  Punishable by death

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. (Deut. 22:23-24)

     B.  Joseph is a Just man

           1.  So he wants her stoned, right?

                 a.  Does justice = unfeeling enforcement?

                 b.  Do righteous lack sympathy/patience?

           2.  Just=love your neighbor as yourself

                 a.  Justice hangs on the 2 Great Com’s

           3.  God is just, but wants his bride forgiven!

                 a.  God’s justice also patient/understanding

                 b.  God always leads with love/hope

     C.  Joseph Contemplates his options

           1.  He doesn’t act immediately

                 a.  Justice need not be swift to be justice

                 b.  Joe=A just man but still just a man

                 c.  He needs time to think this through

           2.  He wants to do this w/o public disgrace

                 a.  Let alone a public stoning!

                 b.  Why? didn’t she deserve disgrace?

                 c.  God takes no delight in shame

           3.  But how?

                 a.  Joe has a goal, but not a plan yet

                 b.  Since everyone knows everyone . . .

                 c.  He sleeps on it (good idea!)

II.  The Rest of the story (1:20-21)

     A.  This is God’s doing

           1.  An angel shows up in a dream

                 a.  Not in a vision (like we read in Luke)

                 b.  God speaks thru dreams sometimes

           2.  God is the Father of Mary’s baby

                 a.  2X to us (1:18), once to Joseph (1:20)

           3.  The pregnancy is real but the rumors aren’t

     B.  Don’t be Afraid, Joseph

           1.  B/c this is God’s doing.

                 a.  What was Joe afraid of: a bad marriage?

                 b.  But Mary wasn’t a loose woman

                 c.  Joe didn’t need to fear that

           2.  Huh? Wouldn’t this make you more afraid?

     C.  You will Name him Jesus

           1.  Who names the baby? (Mary & Joseph)

                 a.  Joseph assumes the Father’s role

           2.  Jesus: He rescues us from our sin

                 a.  B/c we’re in bondage to sin

                 b.  And its consequences

                 c.  And its punishment

           3.  He rescues us from our disgrace

                 a.  By restoring us to God’s love

                 b.  By filling us with His Holy Spirit

                 c.  By the promises of His return

III. The message is Fulfilled (1:22-25)

     A.  Joseph Marries Mary

           1.  Joseph does what the angel commands

                 a.  Doesn’t Q/struggle w/ A’s (2:13-14, 19-21)

                 b.  Here=does what the A implies

           2.  He hesitated to divorce, but not marry her!

                 a.  He takes her into his home

                 b.  What scandal did he share w/ her?!

                 c.  Most intimate human relationship

           3.  But He keeps his distance (for now)

                 a.  Why (No command from the Angel)?

                 b.  B/c it’s God’s child, so holy

     B.  The child is Born

           1.  The promise of Isaiah 7 is fulfilled (& more!)

                 a.  The virgin conceived & gave birth!

                 b.  What is Christmas about? Family? Gifts?

           2.  The wonder of His love

                 a.  The Son of God, born of a woman!

                 b.  Dirt->Adam->Eve-> . . . Mary->Jesus

                 c.  It’s amazing what the Holy Spirit does!

     C.  Jesus is Immanuel

           1.  God with us!

                 a.  The meaning & the message

                 b.  No more distant God!

           2.  God born into human form

                 a.  Phil 2/Heb 2

                 b.  He enters the scandal of our sin

           3.  God with us who Saves us from sin/shame

The Bottom Line:

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