A Season of Hope
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Introduction
Introduction
Junior Church Dismissed
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and time with family. And now we turn our attention to Christmas and all that comes with that.
Have you ever heard the song “It’s the most wonderful time of the year?”
It was written to celebrate traditions people love to engage in during the holidays: Sledding in the snow, spending time with loves ones, roasting marshmallows over a fire, and singing Christmas carols. It was recorded and released in 1963, the song is still one of the top 10 most requested holiday songs and is a favorite for getting people in a festive mood.
Christmas truly is a wonderful time for many around the world, there are some that encounter despair, unrest, and hopelessness. We live in an imperfect world where too often it seems things are going well one minute and are breaking the down the next, and things that seem all but certain today are thrown into uncertainty tomorrow.
If there was anyone who knew what it was like to feel this way in the Bible, it was Joseph. Joseph got hit with some unexpected news. For those that might not know, the Joseph I’m speaking about is the earthly step father of Jesus.
The text we are going to look at today shows us when Joseph discovered his wife was pregnant and he didn’t have a part of it.
But what he didn’t realize was that the news he was being given was the greatest proclomation of hope that had ever been stated.
The word hope needs to be put in its proper context for us this morning. When we say hope it’s typically said with uncertainity as to the outcome.
When the word hope is found in the Bible, it has a different conentation.
Pastor Robert J. Morgan said of hope “…in the Bible, [the word] hope is not synonymous with maybe. Biblical hope refers to sure and certain expectations, which, because they’re still in the future, create in us a sense of anticipation.”
So what has got you down? What do you anticipate to bring you a sense of hopelessness this season? Would you be willing to trust in the promises of God to get you through?
Follow along as I read our text this morning.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
PRAY
The first thing we find in our text is the pronouncement of Hope
I. The Pronouncement of Hope
I. The Pronouncement of Hope
The beginning of this chapter gives us insight into the couple that God chose to be the earthly parents of Jesus.
Notice it says Mary is espoused to Joseph. We learn here they are an engaged couple.
A. To an engaged couple
A. To an engaged couple
To our minds that might seem like no big deal. I mean of course they were engaged, they were going to get married right?
Yes but the process from being two single people to becoming a married couple in our day is different than it was during the days of Joseph and Mary.
During this timeframe Marriage was a three step process. First, the young couple would be engaged. This would most likely be accomplished by parents at a young age. It was the belief of most that a life partner could not be left up to an emotional decision of youth.
Then, at a time determined by the parents, the couple would become betrothed. This could be compared to our modern day engangement. Only difference is this couldn’t be broken off without a letter of divorce. So essentially the couple is already married but they are not living together or consumated the marriage.
This is where Jospeh and Mary are in their relationship. This betrothal lasted one year. During this time the man was to be preparing a home for his bride to be.
The last part of the process is the marriage ceremony.
During the betrothal you know Joseph was dreaming of his bride. His free time was most likely spent looking to the future they had together. Little did he know that he was going to get more than he bargained for.
We see that they were engaged and it’s also important to note that they were a pure couple.
B. To a pure couple
B. To a pure couple
It’s importan
In the past 50+ years this doctrine has been brought into question in light of some versions of the bible.
Bible versions and translation is something I haven’t taught on here but to keep it simple, you should know there are some out there who, I believe inadvertently, have caused questions to come about of doctrines long held by Christians because of words they have chosen to describe Mary.
Notice in verse 18 the Bible says “before they came together” this is speaking of the consumation of the marriage. Joseph and Mary hadn’t known each other in a biblical sense at this point making Mary a virgin.
This truth is important because it fulfilles the prophecies Isaiah
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.
While some updated their translations to reflect this truth others have remained the same.
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
I don’t want to get into different translations this morning I just want you to be aware that there are some bible versions that can be misleading.
Mary and Joseph were engaged, they were pure, and they were blessed.
C. To a blessed couple
C. To a blessed couple
Where the Bible says Mary was “found with child” the word translated “found” is heurisko which indicates something that is discoverd through inquiry or observation, recognized or detected.
The pregnancy wasn’t something either Mary or Joseph knew about. It was a completely unexpected discovery. When gabriel came to tell Mary about what was happening it was shock to her.
The next phrase to notice is “of the Holy Ghost”
Typically when a baby is on the way he or she is identified of both mother and father. Yet the bible doesn’t speak of Joseph.
God goes further by inspiring Paul to write in Galatians
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Made of a woman. Now that’s interesting…doesn’t it take two to tango?
For the birth of our savior the Bible is very clear in teaching us that the birth of Jesus is a miraculous birth with no earthly father.
A wise man once said “Don’t try to explain it; you’ll lose your mind. Don’t try to deny it; you’ll lose your soul.”
Mary and Joseph are enganged, pure, and blessed but that doesn’t change the fact that Jospeh is like the rest of us.
Imagine how he felt when he got the news that the woman he was to marry was pregnant and he knew he didn’t have anything to do with it.
Notice the pondering of Joseph.
II. The Pondering of Joseph
II. The Pondering of Joseph
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
What does he do now? He was just given news that would rock his world and ours if we were in his situation.
Have you ever gotten news like this? News that can just change your life? A bad diagnosis? A call about money missing? Identity theft? Job loss?
We all face times of life were we get hit with news that changes our future. Maybe it’s only an immediate change or something more lasting.
Either way we should seek to do as Joseph did and ponder on the news before we react to it.
We see that Joseph pondered justly.
A. He pondered justly
A. He pondered justly
Matthew wrote “being a just man...”
This phrase means that he was not only just in the sense that we think of it but that he was righteous, he was a true man. He sought to discern right from wrong and pursue the right thing no matter what.
He had every right o have Mary stoned. She had broken her vow and appeared to have committed adultery. The story that she gave Joseph was a fantastic tale that requires faith to be believed and he went away to ponder it and discern right from wrong.
In these times you may ask the question “why would God allow something like this into my life?”
It’s during these periods we must remember that God is good, God loves us, and no matter what is going on around us or how much sense it makes to us, God is always right and His will is based on His understanding and His Word.
So what would Joseph do? What do you do?
Do you trust your emotions or trust God?
Robert Morgan said “We don’t always feel that God’s way is right, but His faithfulness doesn’t depend on our vacillating emotions, rather on His unchanging Word. It’s not a matter of how we feel but of what God says.”
He not only pondered justly to discern right from wrong he pondered compassionately.
B. He pondered compassionately
B. He pondered compassionately
The second part of the verse shows us this compassion by telling us that he would put her away privily.
He didn’t make an example of her and humiliate her in front of their friends and families.
Joseph could have sought revenge but instead he performed an act that speaks highly of love rather than bitterness and anger.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
His act of love showed his compassion and his walking away for a time showed his patience.
C. He pondered patiently
C. He pondered patiently
Verse 20 reads “but while he though on these things...”
It indicated Jospeh was still deliberating on his response.
He waited rather than making a hasting decision.
When circumstances come int our lives that are out of our control but not out of God’s will, we must, like Joseph wait to hear from the Lord.
We should never seek to make hasty decisions.
I have recently done this and had to back track. We all fall prey to trying to get ahead of God. His timing isn’t our timing. His ways are not our ways.
It should be a principle in your life to not make hasty decisions in response to any emotions. Anger, Sadness, and even immense joy. Go to the Lord, wait on Him, and allow Him to reveal His will in his time.
Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet, wrote
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.
It’s an encouragement for us to go to God, wait on God, and then receive the provision of God.
III. The Provision of God
III. The Provision of God
Have you ever spent much time around a 3 year old? Doesn’t seem that one of their favorite questions is “why?”
they want to know the why to everything…Why do dog’s bark, why is the sky blue, or why they must go to bed.
It can be exhausting just keeping up with these questions, let alone answering them.
You and I can sometimes be like that three old with God. We get so preocuppied with wanting to know waht God is doing or when he’s going to step in or why he hasn’t worked in the way we thoguht He would. We want to know it all.
God’s will reveals itself in the right time, in the right place, and we will understand it as He sees fit to reveal it.
Charles Spurgeon was known for saying “When you can’t trace His hand, you can trust His heart.”
Joseph had waited on God and God showed up…well an angel of God showed up. This angel delivered a message of true hope in a time of pain, confusion, and questions.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
The angel revealed that God had a plan and the plan was miraculous.
A. The plan was miraculous
A. The plan was miraculous
The words of the angel in verse 20 show us that Joseph was afraid. Ever been afraid before? I don’t mean afraid of a spider or the boogeyman.
I mean afraid of tomorrow. Afraid of what will happen next. The typical cause of this kind of fear is uncertainty.
Joseph was in this place. Uncertain of what to do, uncertain of how his family would react, uncertain what God’s will was.
As Joseph was in this moment of darkness and uncertainty, God revealed Himself in a great way.
The angel brought the words of God to Joseph declaring the miraculous plan that would be the virgin birth of the Messiah God’s people had been looking to for thousands of years.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
It’s because of this miraculous conception that when Jesus went to the cross He was not shedding the blood of Joseph or of the Adamic line from which all mankind descended. He was spilling the very blood of God.
This is why this season is so significant. Without Christmas there would be no cross.
God’s miraculous plan that was delieverd to Joseph during his dark times about how god would provide showed that the provision would offer salvation.
B. The provision offers salvation
B. The provision offers salvation
This miraculous birth was God’s plan to send His Son, and He sent Jesus for a specific purpose.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.
His purpose was implicit in his name. later in verse 21 Joseph was told “ you will call His name Jesus or he shall save his people from their sins. The Hebrew name Jesus literally means “Jehovah Saves.”
As God delivered this plan for Jospeh to move forward during his darkest times, He will bring His plan to you as well.
and
This Christmas season can be one of sadness or one of Hope. The determining factor is in your perspective.
Joseph was focused on how he was going to get through the problem and God showed up to tell him there was no problem, it was in his plan, and this is how to proceed.
No understand something, not everything that happens to you comes from God but everything that happens to you can be used of God.
God gave the nation of Israel a promise that a Messiah would come. Then he gave Joseph the promise that the Messiah would be his son…so to speak.
The promises of God are not just to everyone else. The promisses of God are to you, to me. The promise of God is personal.
C. The promise is personal
C. The promise is personal
The promise that came to Israel and Jospeh about the Messiah was one of salvation.
God’s promise to every person who believes on his son shall be saved
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
But if that promise is true to is then so must the others be. Because if we don’t believe God will keep any one promise that we can’t believe He will keep all promises.
Here is a list of some of those promises God has made
He promises forgiveness
And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
He promises to provide for you if you will seek Him first
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
He promises to keep your salvation through the ups and downs of life.
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
He promises to work live’s circumstances together for your good
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Notice the last phrase there…to them who are the called according to his purpose.
I’ll tell you this morning, this promise does not apply to everyone on the planet. It applies to those who have put their faith in Christ for salvation.
Conclusion
Conclusion
If your here this morning and your going through a tough time, if the Christmas season looks as though it will be a difficult to get through, if finances are tight, if relationships are strained, if job security is in question, the promise of things working out only applies to those that are called according to his purpose. Those who know Jesus as their savior.
Do you know Jesus as your savior this morning? Have you put your faith in him and him alone as your only hope for Heaven?
As we transition into a time of response to the message I’d like to ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes. Would you talk to God this morning?
If your here and don’t know Jesus I’m going to give you the opportunity to know Him as your savior in just a moment.
If you are here today and are a Christian, you are saved, and your going through a valley or a dark time like Joseph was, have you taken the time to ponder with God? Do you take the time daily to seek His face and His kingdom?
God will reveal His plan and will be more amazing than you could imagine but He said we must first be seeking His kingdom.
Are you?
To those that haven’t trusted in Jesus as their savior, for those here that don’t know Jesus you can…the BIble is plain If you believe in your heart that Jesus was the Son of God, died for sins, and was raised from the dead, you can be saved.
You can confirm that this morning with a prayer to the Lord. The words of the prayer aren’t important…what’s important is whats in your heart and what you believe. Say something like this to the Lord
“Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, I believe you came to die on the cross and rose from the dead. I put my faith right now in you and ask you to come into my life and change me from the inside out. Amen.”
IF you prayed that prayer would you raise your hand and let me rejoice with you?
PRAY
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