Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

PRAY

The first thing we find in our text is 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

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

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

While some updated their translations to reflect this truth others have remained the same.

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

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

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

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

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.