Prepare Your Heart
Thank you for your goodness and your grace and your mercy. Thank you for your kindness. You're leading in your provision. I think you for what we've been looking at today in our texts and I just coming to this man Joseph and encouraging his heart and then to see a his faithfulness and his obedience throughout it got asking if that would be instilled in each and everyone of us that we'd be courageous faithful and obedient to what you have. So go before our time in Jesus name we ask these things. Amen. Amen. Hey, well if you were with us last week or happened to catch the teaching we opened up with a very riveting text. We read like 28 names and it's how Matthew decided to open up his Grand Story when he was talking about The Gospel according to Matthew and what we noted last week is it wasn't the begin? Of a new story but is really a beautiful way to continue the story that God has already set into motion. And so we read this Proclamation that there is a king and he is coming to this world to rescue to redeem to Stave a people and really when you look at Matthew chapter 1 those first 17 verses attended the vs. We skip over but there's so many powerful statement and lined even within the names that are given within that text. And so what we had before us was a proclamation however this morning it begins to change gears a little bit and our attention shifts towards preparing our hearts for the birth of this Jesus chapter 1 verse 18. It says now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. We're going to cover this whole text this morning, but now Matthew has shifted over that he's going to give us some context and a story as to what's going on. And if we look at this this morning, one of the things that we're going to notice is whenever Jesus shows up in somebody's life. He always creates problems doesn't hang right? I mean any time that Jesus popped up on the scene all of a sudden our hand is forced and we have all sorts of dilemmas. Now, we got to use our Biblical imagination a little bit to get this picture but we have what many believed to be a very young couple or at the very least. Mary is very young and she is betrothed to this man Joseph as we're going to see in a little bit now, you can flip over the we will not go there, but you can read the story 2 And you get some contact for what Mary is dealing with there an angel Gabriel appears before her and says marry you are favored by God.
You are chosen by God. You are going to be with child and Mary goes.
What are you talkin about? I haven't been with the man and he says the holy spirit is going to overshadow you and you're going to be with child is Angel comes into the life of Mary and begins to disrupt her pretty little world. She was betrothed to this man Joseph and however that came about the obviously had as we'll see from this story a sense of love and affection and care for one another and if you're in the betrothed to season of Life, there was no doubt wedding plan and excitement. There was this idea that. The man I'm going to marry and here's how my life is going to look and here's how everything's going to play out for these would have been the idea at least that I think go through mini Brides minds of what life is going to be like when I get married and the Holy Spirit comes the Holy Spirit Play The Angel Gabriel this announcement. You're going to have a child. You're going to give her a shot of know that whatever shadowed sounds really weird when I'm reading that text. So I want to do a little bit of work for you in there. This idea comes from a Vaperz Cloud the cast a shadow the word is transferred to a shining cloud surrounding and an enveloping a person with brightness. So there's this idea in the Old Testament of the presence of God is often seen in a cloud there when the Israelites were coming out of Egypt. It was by A Cloud by day and a fire by Night lyrics to smoke and Cloud upon the mountain when Moses went and met with God and it goes on and says use of the Holy Spirit exerting Creative Energy when the Holy Spirit used Creative Energy in Genesis 1 and efforts with creation of the world using Creative Energy. Upon the womb of the Virgin Mary impregnated her I use of the word machines do drop familiar. Old Testament idea of a cloud is symbolize in the immediate presence three. Definition. Is it remove some of the weirdness and takes away some of the Greek mythology where the gods would come down and impregnate a woman and then they'd have this demigod child. It is something entirely different. Early different than what you would have believed as a Greek there in that culture and Society will yeah, of course, I just came down and got a girl pregnant now they have the demigod child milk. This is different. The holy spirit is causing this to happen. When you continue to read Mary story in Luke what she find out is that she accepts it believes it and is obedient to what God is calling her to life in a very unique way and it's really a great time to use Where do you need because Jesus will never come into anybody else's life. Quite like Mary. Will he be in the way that she was his mother and she gave birth to him and so far off of the characters week. We look at it a man. I don't know about that today. We see that Jesus is coming into his life as well. And he's a little bit more relatable. Let me read this story to you as we look at Joseph goes on and says, when is Mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together? She was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit husband Joseph being a just man to man willing to put her to shame resolve to divorce her quietly. But is he considered the things you hold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream st. Joseph son of David do not fear to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is from the holy Juab Eros son. You should call his name. Jesus free will save his people from their sins. All this took place in fulfillment. What the Lord has spoken by the prophet Behold a virgin as we read this morning show conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel which means god with us and when Joseph woke from his sleep. He did the angel of the Lord commanded and he took his wife but knew her not until she given birth to a son and he called his name Jesus. This is interesting a couple of things. I want to work through here with us because we see early on in the story first and foremost. Joseph is betrothed to marry and then it says that he wants to put her away divorced her as if their husband and wife and one of the things that have become a little distant from us is to Patrol Those in our day and age though. They seem to be a little bit of stepping up the game. It's not like the bachelor where you date 30 dudes and at the end of 40 days, you're going to get married to somebody with a really light-hearted commitment just to get famous. There's a lot more weight behind this and with picking play there was already a dowry probably exchange between them. It was so serious in form that in order to break off the engagement. You actually had to get a bill of divorcement. So using this sort of language would have been very common and understood amongst the people. Oh, yeah, I get it. This betrothal the pledge to marry was a solemn contract between the parties lasted for a year before the couples are married in the full send it was binding way more binding than our idea of an engagement fit only be terminated by divorce. And here you have this scene and I'm not sure how long it took for Mary to tell Joseph but I've got this image in my head this biblical imagination or maybe one afternoon after synagogue. They're sitting down on a Saturday and they're sharing a meal together and Mary says something like a Joseph how has your week been? So it's great. I've been building tables for Isaac's family and I've got these other carpentry ideas that are coming along that I need to finish in the cabinet and all the rest. How about you babe? How is your week? Well, I'm pregnant.
Yeah, it's not yours. I figured that God did it.
What is running through your head in that moment? She's a liar or a lunatic either way.
Run, why would you want to be with this woman? She's crazy. She's not you are telling me that now that you're busted and we can notice some things Mary but all of a sudden God did this to you and so what is Joseph do? Well, he goes his way and he begins to ponder these things. Any thinks about them and you can feel the tension beginning to mount because in that culture if Joseph says I am going to marry you. Anyways, he's going to not only Heats shame upon himself, but shame upon his family, which we are not a shame on our culture. So we lose a lot of concept of this but they would have been looked down upon their family and the Rumor Mill in their culture would have been talking about them. You could lose work. Why do because either Joseph took advantage of her or or she's pregnant with somebody else's baby and that's a really really shameful. I'm not only that Mary has to deal with the same sorts of feelings for her own life. Joseph and is like Joseph is a normal person be a normal struggles any normal question surrounding the birth of this Jesus. Crazy Horse, she's a traitor. So here's the question and it's lose-lose. Will he protect himself? Will he protect her and its first inclinations and the most honorable way not here, but I don't want to do the scriptures do not speak negatively of Joseph a tall. Do they get off the pages after this chapter? We get the story when they go down and they accidentally forget Jesus in Jerusalem, They're arguing with the teachers there in Israel talking with him, but he wants to do the right thing instead of bringing her out and shaming her possibly having her put to death because of immoral Behavior or what he thought took place. He does what I'm going to put her away quietly. Jesus is coming to their lives and it's brought disruption chaos and a little bit of disorder. A scary scary for you. That's scary for me. That's scary for them what happens the angel comes to him? And he says the problem is not that you want to do the right thing. What is the Angel say, the problem is Joseph your active powered. Where does it say that? What would you consider these things? You hold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream st. Joseph son of David do not fear no lot of times when people see Angels there's a don't fear cuz they're trembling they're scared. They're terrified afraid of the presents there in the room with him. That's not what it says here. Do not fear to do what to take Mary as your wife Joseph. Don't be a coward this text starts out by telling us you're going to receive Jesus into your life. How do you knock down the door of your heart and you see his goodness? His grace is kindness. You better have courage. You better have courage. Why first of all you better have courage to accept the world disdain for you. Joseph had better have a lot of Courage because what is going to happen? It's all of a sudden everybody in that Society is going to look at him and look down on him. Could you imagine going to your parent and saying it's not mine and it's not neighbor Jose is God's and how that conversation would go if you're crazy. What kind of juice you drinking with her man? What do you guys think you're all about? This isn't how this happened. This is not the Grid in which we think this is going to take us and Mary you've got to be kidding me. She's the one who's going to give birth to the Messiah for old Mary. Yeah. I don't know about that Joseph this whole thing sounds a little crazy to us and the Rumor Mill in their culture in our society Pender County going round and round he would have to have Courage to get people back then. We're not dumb you get a shotgun wedding and there's a baby 3 months later. Now, we know how that works. We know what actually took place in that day and that age and not culture was going on in their lives would completely cut them off family from Friends. It had the potential to do that. His life would be blowing up. Her life would be blown up. So for Joseph at this moment, To receive this Jesus and there's no way he would come to him and he would need courage one of us in this room. Received Jesus not giving a list of things you have to be. We all know that all sin and fallen short of the glory of God. There's a calculated thought process that happens in people's lives when they hear the good news of Jesus himself said that you're not going to start building a house without first counting the cost. We all do this in our lives and if you come to somebody say, oh my goodness of Jesus is so good. He's forgiven my sins. I know that he love me. I know that up because of him. I will be with him someday in the age to come at this world is not the only world we have there's something new that I'm holding on to the world doesn't have really a grid for that do Seiko you believe in fairies as well as Santa Claus going to come down your chimney this year to is that what you believe in and people begin to judge you mock you make fun of you because you have a belief in a God who created the universe comes near to us dies for us is resurrected and is called a tent you like With him, it sounds so fanciful to them. Yeah, right like I could ever put tension Ali happen that's fairytale kind of stuff. At one response that people would give particularly in the 80's 90's. We heard a lot of that as momentum continue to gain for nationalism in just the naturalistic processes of evolution and everything else. Now, he flipped the script a little bit and today by and large people are very spiritual aren't they? Your neighbor's very spiritual your cousin who doesn't trust in Jesus, but sure looks that the Earth Mother Earth the universe the world on or something out there Beyond me and their own harder to get out to talk to you about Jesus, aren't they? Because they just believe that Jesus died for my sins and Muhammad came and got he's pretty rad and I follow the ways of the names you're going away even approached. with you on that and they had to stay in for you because they go how can you believe that Jesus is the only way I'm narrow-minded up you how judgmental of you to look at me and just say that I'm a sinner. How dare you declare that to me. I decide I choose what's right or wrong for my life is good. God is gracious. This is kind of thick is love and generosity. I think you're going to have to be courageous to be a follower of Jesus, especially in a postmodern age really laughed at Mott looked over. Anytime you post something about who Jesus say you can feel a little bit of pension or you go to the family get together and dinner and you want to pray for the meal and people look at you like she thinks she's right. She thinks she's right. How dare they Judge Me. Jesus comes into our lives blows up. This wraps everything have courage and watch this unfold just didn't just have courage was told to have space to have faith Angel comes and declares this word. He would actually have to trust and take this message this dream what he received from this Angel at his word and Trust. Now think it's are too loud a lot. One of the things we don't like to discuss in church is the idea of doubt the problem of Doubt even for the righteous. Stats from time to time maybe sometimes our moment-to-moment we struggle with doubt. I want to read this from CS Lewis who wasn't atheist and he talks about addresses the problem of doubt and he says believe in God and you'll have to face hours when it seems obvious that this material world is the only reality so you're going to believe in God. Don't get any moments when you think actually this world is all that there. Is this physical world your heart going to be drawn to it was to live for it once to give itself to it over and over again believe in him and you must face hours when this material world seems to shout achoo. This is not all that. There is no conviction religious or irreligious will of itself and once and for all this fifth columnist in the soul only the practice of Faith resulting in a habit of faith will gradually do that. Essentially with CS Lewis says, it doesn't matter if you're Christian or not a Christian in here this morning you believe in any kind of God or no kind of God. We all Russell and struggle with doubt doubt is no stranger to any human in this place. If you walked in here wondering haven't questions are how could God do this or let that happen or why are things still the wind they are? I doubt that God is acting moving working men and women of Faith route. The age is stemming from the very book Letters prophets that we read struggled with this issue of Doubt. Sarah laughed when she heard that she would have a son at God's Abraham daughter to such a degree that he slept with his handmaidens and brought in some sort of trouble for his family. The Israelites doubted God could provide and carry them through John the Baptist. No man greater than him born of a woman was there in prison. Are you the one or should we look for another Jesus? Are you the Messiah? There's these moments of doubt that everybody faces. I'm looking to fill this in our own Hearts read out the very promises and goodness and grace of God, and he will he does he hear me? See me know me forgive me. Often doubt is connected with disappointments are long-term trials. We have anybody in here grew up with an absentee parents and the kind of parent that always promised to show up at the game and they just were never there and you were let down over and over again at some point. I begin to create a cycle within your own heart how you look at treat and Trust other people with this. Yeah, right. I doubt you will be there. I doubt you'll show up and over time. It gets embedded in us and the gospels. I'm doing that in a say no trust God wait on God believe in God said he is able to be continued a let-down begin to plague us and give us doubt that got us will be there to what do you do when you're in the pit of despair?
Not really married. Are you sure I shouldn't marry her because how can it be that she is with child and not had been with some other man. Are you sure I'm supposed to do this. You look at Joseph. What are your occasions for gout right now in your life? What are the reasons what are the moments when you come to that place where you say? Are you real God? Play something bad happening their lives and make sense question who he is and what he's doing and you have to know that Joseph in this place ever going to be ridiculed. I don't know about Mary Mary. That's a little scary at that. I doubt I should really is. She going to be faithful to me.
How cats doubt that God where you at? And God begins to move into his life. And here's what we're to do and I should have probably once he gets so important and so formative in your mind doubt your doubts. Doubt your doubts when it comes to things now. Let me put the caveat on your leave with the Oscars on here when it comes to the things that God said he's going to do can do and we'll do doubt your doubts. I spent countless hours in the counseling office helping people get through the idea that God actually can't forgive them that you don't know what I did to him. You don't know how I treated her. You don't know that how can God forgive me doubt your doubts know there are moments when you can't apply this to life certain things take place or happen and get a diagnosis going to be really foolish to say f*** you that I'm feeling to doubt it and move to attempt to happen in those moments when we get problematic situation and we have difficulties in issues. What were they going to think it is God good is God kind is Godly? That is a doubt that gets implanted in her mind when life does not go according to the plan that we have in mind what we do do doubt those doubts. I'm so good at being a daughter that I should doubt more doubts. Can I get actually see that God is with me in those moments when I have those questions coming in and how does God implant something even in Joseph's mind in this moment to get these words cannot for the life of me other than this reason think of why they're in here when he appeared to Joseph Angel. We've already had the lineage given to us Matthews already gone to Great Lengths to tell us who Jesus is, but what did he do? 50 slip this into Joseph son of David. This is this is who you are. This is why this is true, son of David. He says that to Joseph and it's just a little twinge this little twinkling of a this is your High Calling. This is who you are. Yes. God can do this or circumstances are the occasion for doubt. They are rarely the place doubt originates. Doubt originates when we have these moments in our lives, and we don't actually address them because in the church, we thought those questions and let's talk about those issues. I got to tell you something any good smart answer that ever come for me. If you know me came from somebody much smarter than me, so, I don't know all this stuff either, but I get the email. I have the conversation. I get excited. Let's look into this with talk about this. Let's see what God is up to don't suppress them when you're in seasons of Doubt, but a good healthy questions because if you don't win all hell breaks loose in your life, and it will at some point. I promise you it will at some point if it hasn't already doubts will come flooding in are you good? And here's what we see happens in this passage. He believed the Lord. He didn't just believe in the Lord. a lot of people believe in God crate awesome. Cool. What does it say? He believes the Lord. How do we know that because he does what God asked him to do more in the clothes out with his last thought process here. And I think it's incredibly important and it's probably the Pinnacle of this chapter and what we have for us today. This whole thing is surrounding this naming event of Jesus. Look Justin was courageous. Images of Joseph courageous he has Faith. He takes Mary as his wife and this faith that leads to obedient and how he actually names this child who God ask him to name him. Justice response I will be obedient listen because he believed his obedience if you're freaking obedience will lead to believe you're wrong.
Obedience people that try really hard to get close to God Adidas great Christian and do all the right things being an up-and-coming incredibly frustrated and miserable and broke in tried to obey them self close to God near to God put upon belief trust in Jesus. There is in this obedient that transpires and follows as we're going to see throughout Matthew's gospel it so he listens to this Angel he puts aside the fear and the frustrations and it gets married and there's the whole moment that transpires before I see you're going to call him Jesus. Why why what is the significant and important about this the name an event has many lost a little bit of a gusto in our culture and Society me. My name is Brett. I don't even know what it means. All right, maybe something great. Maybe something terrible, but it's just something that was designated and thrust thrown upon me for whatever that's worth in that day and that age that a name tells you about the person and what kind of person they're going to be but not only that. A naming event is significant because it tells you who has authority over that person. You have the right to claim to name them for they want to name him. Who's right was it it was the parents should have been Joseph's right to name this child. Whomever he want you to name. This child for marriage name is child. Whoever if they wanted, however, they wanted to name him. But twice once here in Matthew and then also in lieu specifically said, you will call him Jesus. Jesus has all kind of titles and names write the scriptures son of David being one of them manual god with us, but God was very jealous over this title. You will call him Jesus. Jesus is kind of this Greek eyes way of saying you shua God says you shua that is what your to call him. That is the kind of person he is to be this is why this is such a big deal a person's name is never just a label over them. But it gave you this identity of who you're going to be. How did this play out in the Old Testament? What you sought Jacob his name literally meant he'll snatcher. He was a conniver he did this to his brother Esau as well as he tricked his father. God later renamed him to Israel doesn't he renamed him the significance to that. So there's the source of the name who gives it to you is extremely important that says who is your Authority there's the content of the name which tells you your purpose is your Authority. What is your life's purpose? I think about this as it relates to Jesus here this morning. Jesus truly lives out. Not up to that name. God Saves going to live that out. God Is My ultimate Authority God is the one and how do we and where do we see that? We have these moments were like Mary comes and asks a favor and he's like, hey Mary, it's not my moment app for my father to determine and tell me where these moments for Jesus knows exactly what he's supposed to be doing the disciples come early on and Mark one and they're like a all these people want you Jesus and he says, nope. I'm not here for all of that. I'm here to be with my father or in the Luke. He's right up with 13 where it says that Logan's everybody's wishes wills and desired. He sets his face like Flint towards Jerusalem because he knows his purpose even named and has an identity knows who he is and then that there tells him what his purpose is. For Life, who is he is the king of kings he is the Lord of lords. He is the one who comes to save. That's what's going on in this chapter. and Joseph he's a medians to do as the angel there has called him as a god having commission that angel asking him to do now. What do we do with this? Who are you? What's your purpose?
Who are you with your purpose? Who names you? I don't mean like who gave Jessica her name Alora her name is Sheila her name. I mean like who names you what names you?
in America culture makes you successful your failure by what standards and means by the ones in which they've established. That's that's typically how we function and operate in this world. 4 I desired party names me the color of my skin names me and tells me who I am and how to act and how to respond. Now you talk to. You're going to get a hug and high-five drunk close to see the Latin. All right, and so we tend to accept and live out of his degree in which its inherent and learned because of our culture has been thrown down on us, but here's my question. Jesus comes in and disrupt everything has he done that in your life. If so, you have a brand new identity. And his son and his daughter and his brother. It is Sister. It is are it is righteous. It is Holy. It is Saint and all of these things is how God sees you and then re-determined redirects your highest priority in life. Cheetah comes in absolutely and disrupt your life. You're going to need courage. Don't let that out. You're going to have to continue to walk in the aspect of faith if you're going to walk in obedience, but that is what God has called us to do ask yourself who needs me who needs me. What's my purpose sprayer. Thank you. Everything given a new name. Revelation talks about this in the most beautiful way.
And that we no longer belong to ourselves. We belong to you and you've made us children. And because of that we live function operate different in this world. I will say it is so evident on a Sunday morning when they come together and I see people from all different backgrounds and walks of life and they care about each other. They love each other. Nothing other than Jesus draws us together and we're concerned for one another we don't even share. Literal Family Ties because of blood but because of your blood we do. And it's so unique what you've done so maybe feel that warm and that embrace your this morning, maybe love and care for each other because of that reality. Thank you for this time.