A Savior Worth Waiting For

A Savior Worth Waiting For

Matthew 1:18-25

Open your Bible to the first chapter of Matthew’s gospel.

Does everyone have their Christmas shopping done? Are you done with everyone on your list yet?

I’m not good at shopping for someone else. If they don’t tell me what they want, you never know what they are going to wind up with.

Some people are good at it and others aren’t. Gift giving isn’t as easy as it sounds. For those of you who aren’t good shoppers either, we could use some help so that we don’t buy the wrong things. And I guess you do have some time left. Christmas is two and a half weeks away.

I saw a survey of the things that men and women wanted the most for Christmas – a dream list. They were also asked to name the gifts that they hated the most.

The top five gifts women want the most:

1. Designer shoes

2. A designer coat

3. A pet

4. A designer purse

5. Jewelry

The five gifts women DON’T want:

1. Household items.

2. Gift cards.

3. Champagne.

4. A gym membership.

5. A kitchen appliance.

The top five gifts MEN want the most:

1. Season tickets to their favorite sports team, preferably football.

2. An iPad.

3. An expensive watch.

4. A designer suit.

5. Gardening equipment.

The five gifts men DON’T want:

1. A tie.

2. Socks.

3. A shirt.

4. A book.

5. Cufflinks.

Last week, we unwrapped the gifts that a woman named Mary received that first Christmas. We learned that if we want to have a Merry Christmas then we need to understand Mary’s Christmas. God gave her gifts that were a perfect fit for her.

She was going to be pregnant with a son named Jesus. He was going to be great because He was the Son of the Most High God. His kingdom will never end and He will be called the Holy One. Mary responded with the only gift she had, the gift of herself, when she said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

This morning we’re going to look at how a man named Joseph responded to the gift that God had for him in the first chapter of Matthew. We are going to see he wasn’t too thrilled with the whole idea at first but eventually accepted the present as God carefully unwrapped it for him. Joseph is really the forgotten figure of Christmas, paling in comparison to the infant savior and to Mary the mother of Jesus.

Did you know that he’s the only one in the Christmas narrative who isn’t heard from? In fact, he doesn’t say a single word in any of the gospels. Even though he was silent, this quiet man of character left behind something that speaks so much louder than his words ever could.

A Sunday School was putting on a Christmas play, which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. One boy really wanted to be Joseph, but when the parts were handed out, he was assigned to be the innkeeper instead. He couldn’t stand the guy who got to be Joseph but he kept quiet about everything. Inside he was secretly plotting how to get back at his rival.

On the night of the performance, Mary and Joseph came walking across the stage and knocked on the door of the inn. The innkeeper opened the door and asked them gruffly what they wanted. Joseph answered, “We’d like to have a room for the night.” Suddenly the innkeeper threw the door open wide and smiled even wider, “Great, come on in and I’ll give you the best room in the house!”

For a few seconds poor little Joseph didn’t know what to do. Thinking quickly on his feet, he looked inside the door past the innkeeper and then said, “No wife of mine is going to stay in a dump like this. Come on, Mary, let’s go to the barn.”

In all the Christmas pageants performed, Joseph doesn’t get a starring role, but his part is so important. The real Joseph tried to think quickly on his feet when he thought the lines were messed up, but he needed some angelic intervention before he was able to play the role that had been assigned to him.

Joseph probably thought his life was all scripted out. His marriage to Mary and his career as a carpenter were all most likely arranged for him, but then his world came crashing down. He had a day of disappointment, which was followed by a night of discovery that eventually led to a morning of dedication.

Let’s pray and we’ll read our passage for this morning.

Pray!

Matthew 1:18–25 ESV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Let’s look first at his day of disappointment that stretched his limits and dashed any hopes he had for his future wedding.

A Day of Disappointment

We are told:

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

It helps to understand the two stages leading up to a Jewish marriage.

· Engagement. A contract is made out between the families.

· Betrothal. This is similar to the engagement stage except that couples signed a legal document that could only be broken by divorce. For all legal reasons and purposes, the couple was considered husband and wife but they did not live together and they had not yet consummated their marriage. This second stage could last for about a year and was to be a time of building the relationship, planning and happy expectations. This was the stage Joseph and Mary were at.

Think about how matter-of-factly Matthew describes Joseph’s dilemma: “before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”

Have you ever wondered how Joseph found out that she was pregnant? They were probably doing all the things that couples do to get ready for weddings. Maybe Mary was asking Joseph questions about the flowers and the reception and being the good (and smart) guy he was, he just nodded and said, “Whatever you think, dear.”

At some point in all of the wedding arrangements she must have dropped the bomb about the baby. I don’t know how she did it. How do you tell your fiancé that you’re pregnant and it had nothing to do with him?

Joseph was completely stunned, how could she possibly have done this to him, and then expect him to believe that she was still a virgin?

I doubt that conversation ended well.

I bet Joseph felt betrayed and Mary was hurt because he didn’t believe her. He had trusted her and expected to spend the rest of his life with her, but for her to go and . . . it just wasn’t right.

So, what was he supposed to do?

Well, there were a couple of options available to him. He could legally have her stoned to death for committing adultery. The other option was to secretly break off the engagement and end everything.

Can you imagine what was going on inside Joseph?

“My head say she needs to be punished but my heart said…well, my heart says nothing, because it’s broken, shattered and lying in pieces. I hadn’t even kissed her and now she’s carrying someone else’s child? Her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit? Yeah, right.”

Joseph’s noble character is exposed in his solution to the problem: “And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.”

The Bible tells us that Joseph was a just man, and so he decided to go through with a quiet divorce so Mary wouldn’t be disgraced publicly. Maybe she could go back and live with Elizabeth.

But life is never that simple is it? We see a day of disappointment and…

A Night of Discovery

That night as he tumbled into a troubled sleep, something remarkable happened.

20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

As much as Joseph loved Mary, he struggled to believe her story. He was having a difficult time understanding the whole idea of the incarnation that is happening in the belly of his wife-to-be. Remember he hadn’t yet heard what Gabriel had said to Mary in Luke 1:37: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

To his credit, he’s not rushing to judgment, but is certainly leaning toward cutting himself off from her. But God is rewriting Joseph’s script and is about to give him a new role.

Joseph is called the “son of David.” This is a reference to his heritage as one who came from the same family tree as the promised Messiah. The angel recognizes the fear that Joseph had to take Mary as his wife. If he married her, everyone would think that he had broken his vow of purity, and that he had gotten Mary pregnant. He’d be publicly humiliated. God is calling Joseph to give up his legitimate rights, to violate common sense and to follow God into the great adventure of faith.

The angel then confirms the truth of what Mary had told him. The child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary wasn’t unfaithful to him after all! Joseph is to take Mary as his wife, become the legal father and name the baby “Jesus.” Could it be? Was it possible that Joseph was going to be the stepfather of the one who will save people from their sins?

Verses 22-23 clear this up for us and for Joseph:

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

This gives Joseph three assurances.

a specific prophecy

What Joseph was about to experience was a fulfillment of a prophecy that was about 800 years old and was spoken by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah. While it was humanly impossible for Mary to be pregnant and a virgin, it was not only possible with God, but predicted by Him.

There are actually over 300 distinct prophecies about Jesus’s life in detail – and every one of them was fulfilled, reminding us that God will do exactly what He says.

a special person

The coming Messiah had to be born to a special person. Specifically, it had to be a virgin. Mary qualified because she was willing and available to do whatever God wanted. Jesus is never called the son of Joseph. There had to be one human parent to allow for Jesus’s humanity but He was sinless because His father was God.

a supernatural presence

The baby to be born to Mary was to be called “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” Jesus is God with us. He comes to live with us and in us.

Immanuel means at least three things.

Immanuel - “God with us”

Salvation

In the Old Testament the presence of God was in the tabernacle and later the temple. In the New Testament, the presence of God is in the person of Christ. Because Jesus was sent from God the Father, He is the only way back to the Father.

Acts 4:12 ESV

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Security

God will never leave or forsake His people because He is right here with us. No matter how desperate things are, God will never leave us. We don’t have to go through anything alone.

Romans 8:38–39 ESV

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sympathy

God is not some distant being casually observing our lives from a distance.

He has come to us in His Son and He is still with us today. He is God with us. That means that He is close to us. He’s near to us. And He desires to walk with us through our worries and trials and grief.

The birth of the baby Jesus reminds us that we are not alone despite how badly this world might treat us and how much pain we might endure.

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Immanuel means that God will meet you at your greatest point of need, whatever that might be.

A group of first graders got together and decided to write their own version of the Nativity. It was more modern than the traditional drama. There were the familiar members of the cast: Joseph, the shepherds, and an angel propped up in the background. But Mary was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly behind the bales of hay came some loud sounds. Evidently Mary was in labor. Soon the doctor arrived dressed in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck. Joseph, with a look of relief on his face took the doctor straight to Mary, and then started pacing back and forth. After a couple minutes, the doctor emerged with a big smile on his face and announced, “Congratulations, Joseph. It’s God.”

That’s pretty close to the message the angel was giving Joseph. The baby to be born is God with us. And now it’s time for Joseph to get on board with the program. And he does…as soon as he wakes up.

There was a day of disappointment, a night of discovery and…

A Morning of Dedication

Joseph wasn’t an Old-Testament scholar. He didn’t go to seminary. He probably couldn’t read or write. He’s just a simple carpenter. But he is a man who obeys God when he understands what he is being asked to do.

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Joseph had learned an important lesson that would carry him for a lifetime:

Never underestimate God

When Joseph crawled out of bed, he rushed to obey the command. There was no argument, no rationalization, and no hesitation. With kindness and compassion, he immediately took Mary to be his wife. He then lovingly cared for her through the final months of pregnancy, protecting her from the rumors of a ‘shotgun wedding.’ What we see in Joseph is an amazing model of obedience to the Lord…

I like how Joseph responded when he knew what he should do. His commitment was a result of his character. He believed that God himself was going to be born as Immanuel and that he had a part to play.

Someone said, “In the New Testament, there’s only one really great miracle and that is the incarnation. Once you believe that, everything else is duck soup.” Since Joseph believed this miracle, he had no trouble believing God for anything else.

Application

What about you? Could you play the role of Joseph? Or are you still stuck in the script somewhere?

Some of you are trapped in disappointment. Maybe things haven’t worked out the way you planned. Perhaps a bomb has hit you – in your health, your finances, or your family. If it has:

It is time to discover that God is with you. Put yourself in a place to hear from God. Maybe you need to make a fresh commitment. Joseph needed to hear from God and when he did, he listened.

Once you move from disappointment to discovery, then it’s vital that you dedicate yourself to Christ. What’s God asking you to do? What has He revealed to you? Don’t just sit there. It’s time to put into practice what you know to be true.

Both Mary and Joseph gave God the gift of their lives. Are you ready to do the same thing? Don’t return the gift you’ve been given.