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Text: Luke 1:25-56; Matthew 1:18-25
Theme: Mary and Joseph help us frame a picture of obedience in its full context and reveal to us the difficulty and delight of devotion to God.
Date: 12/22/2013 File Name: Chronicle_of_Obedience.wpd Sermon ID: 32
As we approach the Christmas season, I've chosen to preach a series of sermons entitled The Chronicles of Christmas.
A chronicle refers to an extended account in prose or verse of historical events, and presented in chronological order.
The Chronicles of Christmas reveal truth through biblical personalities and events.
The Scriptures we will look at over the next four Sundays are a part of the historical record from which our faith springs.
The first message I've entitled A Chronicle of Obedience.
Obedience is not a soft, syrupy word.
It is a gritty, tenacious one.
It challenges us to do what God commands, to go where He leads, and to speak what He inspires.
Mary and Joseph help us frame a picture of obedience in its full context and reveal to us the difficulty and delight of devotion to God.
I. MARY AND JOSEPH OBEYED IN SPITE OF CIRCUMSTANCES
1. Nazareth was a small, obscure village nestled in the hill country halfway between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea
a. it was a town that had little to offer
1) Nazareth was so insignificant that it is never mentioned in the Old Testament ... never mentioned in other Jewish writings of the era ... never mentioned by the 1st-century Jewish historian, Josephus
2) it was not on any of the main roads of the day
a) no one just happened to pass through Nazareth
3) and it wasn’t just Nazareth—the entire region of south Galilee lay outside the mainstream of Jewish life and culture
ILLUS.
No wonder the Apostle Nathaniel would quip “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” when his brother Phillip told him he had found the Messiah and he was from Nazareth!
b.
I'm sure the teenagers of Nazareth dreamed about the metropolitan communities of their day
1) Athens
2) Rome
3) Cairo
4) even Jerusalem
c. any place had to be better than dull, monotonous Nazareth where nothing exciting ever happened
2. in Nazareth lived a young woman named Mary
a. to the human eye, she probably was an ordinary teenager
b. but in the heart of God, she was an extraordinary person whom He chose to favor
A. MARY EMBRACED THE CONSEQUENCES OF HER FAITH
1. God's grace was delivered by the angel Gabriel who called Mary God's favored one
2. the message from the angel was startling
“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” (Luke 1:30–35, ESV)
2. the consequences of Mary’s obedience would be as equally startling
a. Mary was a virgin—perhaps a mere fourteen years old
1) but very soon she is going to be expecting a child
2) and what a child it will be
a) she will have a son
ILLUS.
Here is the world’s first “reveal party” and the Angel Gabriel makes the announcement.
Top that if you can!
b) his name will be Yeshua ben Yahweh—Jesus, son of the most high God
c) he will be a king who reigns over the house of Jacob, and his kingdom will never end
d) he will be called holy ... because he will be holy
3. but her faith would undoubtedly have consequences
a. what would people think and say?
1) her parents?
“Mom, dad, I was minding my own business when the angel Gabriel appeared to me and you wouldn’t believe ... “
2) her friends?
“Girls ... I’m expecting, and you would believe who the Father is!”
3) her fiancé?
“Joseph; darling.
Sit down ... we need to talk.”
b. ultimately, Mary considered the whole situation to be impossible
1) but Gabriel affirms "nothing is impossible with God"
B. MARY’S FAITH BELIEVED THAT GOD CAN MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE
1. Mary did not demand an explanation
a. she did not complain that she had insufficient information
2. she simply humbled herself and obeyed
v. 38 "Be it done to me according to your word."
3. obedience for believers is not an option that depends on the circumstances
a. too often our obedience toward God is conditioned on whether that obedience fits into our personal agenda
1) if we are not inconvenienced ...
2) if we are not overly burdened ....
3) if it makes sense ...
4) then we obey, if not, we don't
4. her faith in God would soon bring about difficult circumstances in her life-Mary obeyed in spite of the circumstances
II.
MARY AND JOSEPH OBEYED IN SPITE OF CONFLICT
1. circumstances can make obedience perplexing, and conflict can make it painful
2. when Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, the news must have been deeply painful for him
a. he assumed the worst
b. he thought that his betrothed had been unfaithful to him
ILLUS.
In 1st-century Galilee, betrothal was a big deal.
Parents often negotiated with other parents in a community to arrange marriages between children that were advantageous economically, and socially to each family.
If the parents arranged the marriage while the bride, the groom, or both were too young for marriage, a long betrothal would ensue.
What seems strange to modern Westerners is that neither sexual attraction nor love was considered a necessary prelude to engagement or marriage.
Betrothal in most eras of Bible history involved two families in a formal contract, and that contract was as binding as marriage itself.
A dowry or bride price agreements were included, so that a broken engagement required repayment of the dowry.
After betrothal, all that remained were three matters: the wedding celebration, the bride’s move into the groom’s house, and the consummation of the marriage.
Thus a pre-wedding pregnancy where the betrothed groom was not the father was not just a matter between the bride and groom, but between two families and even the larger community.
3. according to Jewish law, Joseph had two options
a. he could divorce Mary publicly and shame her in a court of justice
b. or he could "put her away privately" through a private divorce
c. the conflicting desires swirling around in his mind must have been agonizing
1) would he yield to legalistic dogma and make an example of her?
a) he could have—it would have been within his legal right to do so
b) revenge over such a betrayal, and embarrassment might taste sweet
2) or would he yield to the tender love he felt for Mary and save her from open shame and embarrassment?
4. the fact that Joseph did not want to disgrace her reveals the depth and tenderness of his love for her
a. in the midst of his own hurt, he was thinking of her feelings and welfare
A. OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WILL IS RARELY EASY OR CONVENIENT
1. before Joseph could act on his inclination to begin the process of divorce an angel of the Lord informed him in a dream that Mary was pregnant by means of the Holy Spirit and that he should take her as his wife
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