Jesus Christ Our Savior
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Communion • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:00:52
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· 685 viewsThe story of Christmas isn’t just about a baby in a manger. The story of Christmas is about who that baby is. The story of Christmas is about what that baby came to do. The story of Christmas is about God keeping His promise to send a Savior. Have you trusted in Him?
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Introduction
Introduction
As we begin this morning I want to put the Christmas story into historical and spiritual context.
Ever since the nation of Israel began, God has been speaking to His people.
Sometimes directly, then through dreams, then through prophets.
The last of these prophets speaks roughly 100 years after Israel has returned to the land from exile.
Enough time has passed for the people to begin backsliding and forgetting God.
Malachi tells the people of one who would come before the Messiah, of the Messiah Himself, and of a time of future judgment.
After this prophet speaks God does not communicate with His people in this way for 400 years.
400 years without any prophesy, without any Word from God concerning the future of His people.
During this time the Roman empire is born and Israel is once again ruled by another nation.
Their freedoms have been stripped away, their national identity threatened.
And still, God is silent.
One day a priest enters the temple to fulfill his duty and an angel appears to him.
Zechariah the father of John the baptist is made mute until after John’s birth.
During Elizabeth’s pregnancy the angel appears to her cousin Mary.
It seems to me that rumors have probably started to circulate.
An angel has appeared.
The national hope for a Savior to be born, for someone to come and deliver them from Rome must have roared back into life!
I imagine an air of excitement, of expectation.
However, there is a man, a carpenter, who has a different expectation, a different reason for excitement.
He is about to be married.
As was portrayed in the skits earlier, can you imagine the heartbreak, the outrage, the fear, that Joseph went through?
God has been silent for 400 years. Now He sends an angel to me? I’m just a carpenter! I’m a nobody.
Today we will be looking at Joseph’s encounter with the angel.
We will be in Matthew 1, as we read just a moment ago.
There are three parts to the story of Joseph.
From those three parts we are going to learn three lessons.
Here’s what we are going to learn.
Lesson #1.
Your sin can be forgiven.
Lesson #2.
God always keeps His promises.
Lesson #3.
Self-sacrificing obedience should be our response.
These are the lessons we are going to learn from our three part story.
Jesus Christ Our Savior, part 1…
1. A Savior Announced vv. 18-21
1. A Savior Announced vv. 18-21
v. 18
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
There is so much packed into this.
The book of Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus.
The purpose of this was to demonstrate his claim to the throne of David.
The purpose in our passage is to give information about the birth of Jesus.
One of the fascinating things about the gospel accounts is the differences between them. None of them start the same.
Matthew gives us no information about Mary or John the Baptist or anyone else.
He Begins with Joseph and then is focused exclusively on Jesus.
We learn several things in this verse that bear examination.
1 - After betrothal.
In Jewish custom this was considered as binding as marriage itself.
They are engaged, but in a legal sense they are already bound.
2 - Before they came together.
They have not consummated their relationship, meaning there has been no sexual intercourse.
Therefore, there is no possible way this is Joseph’s baby.
3 - She was found with child.
Since the natural and normal way for pregnancy to happen is through sexual intercourse, Joseph must conclude that Mary has been unfaithful to him.
4 - Of the Holy Spirit.
This is what Mary says.
Let’s be honest, we would all struggle to believe this. Especially since we wouldn’t have the story of Mary to look to.
Intellectually we would have heard this was going to happen.
Matthew will quote Isaiah in just a moment.
Hearing that a virgin somewhere at sometime will have a baby is all well and good.
Being told it is happening to your fiance is another thing entirely.
At this point Joseph is not aware that the Holy Spirit placed this child within Mary’s womb.
V. 19
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
Notice that Joseph is called her husband.
Again, betrothal was binding in Jewish custom.
He is called a just man.
Just – δίκαιος (dikaios) righteous; just. Characterized by or proceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice.
Just – δίκαιος (dikaios)
Joseph was a righteous man. He endeavored to do what was right.
He didn’t want to make an example of her.
The implication is that he could have and had every reason and right to.
He chose not to. Why not? Because he was a just man!
He decided to put her away privately.
He is going to divorce her in private. This would have lessened her shame and the dishonor of her family.
Bear in mind, for all he knows, she cheated on him. And yet he is willing to protect her and her family.
I believe this displays the love he had for Mary.
V. 20
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
He is wrestling with all of this.
In the midst of his turmoil and battle, an angel appears to him in a dream.
First thing to note, The angel knows exactly who Joseph is.
He is in the Davidic line. We could talk more about that, but we won’t today. Suffice it to say that this is a big deal.
Here’s what I want to focus on.
God knows exactly who we are.
He knows who I am. He knows who you are.
The second thing here is that The angels knows exactly what Joseph is going through.
He knows Mary is pregnant.
He knows Joseph is contemplating divorce.
More than that, he knows that it is fear motivating Joseph.
Do not be afraid.
God knows exactly what we are going through.
Whatever you are facing right now, God knows.
The doubts and fears we are facing are no mystery to God!
He is telling you the same thing He told Joseph. Don’t be afraid. I am here.
Joseph is told to take Mary as his wife because her child truly is from the Holy Spirit.
Can you feel the load coming off his shoulders?
Mary wasn’t lying!
She wasn’t unfaithful!
Before he can even recover from that news, he is hit with the big one.
V. 21
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
She’s going to have a son and you will name Him Jesus.
For us today this name has significance because we associate it with the second person of the trinity, God the Son.
In Jewish culture names were given because of their meaning.
The name Jesus is no different.
Yeshua means Salvation or Jehovah is salvation.
The angel tells Joseph that this name will be given because Jesus will save His people from their sins.
He is named Jesus because that is who and what He is.
He is salvation!
A Son. Jesus. The Savior.
Joseph is going to be the earthly father for the Savior of all mankind.
No pressure. Right?
Fathers, do we ever feel inadequate?
Imagine raising the Savior!
I picture Joseph questioning, “Why me? I’m just a carpenter!”
I better not screw this up!
There’s a lot riding on this!
The same thing that is true for Joseph is true for you and me.
God is with us, He will guide us every step of the way.
Jesus was born to be the Savior.
I said at the beginning that we would learn three lessons today.
Here is the first.
Your sin can be forgiven.
How do we know that?
Because that’s why Jesus came!
The entire purpose of His birth was to deal with sin!
It is impossible for us to sin too much.
When we come to Christ seeking forgiveness, we are always forgiven.
That is why Jesus was born.
He is the Savior, announced to Joseph here.
Jesus was born to save.
That is the point of Christmas.
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.
That is the purpose for which He was born.
Sing with me the first two verses of…
“Born To Die” (vv. 1-2)
The Savior was announced to Mary and Joseph.
He was born to save His people from their sins.
Part 1 of our Story teaches us that our sin can be forgiven.
As Matthew continues telling us the story of Joseph, he moves into prophecy.
Jesus Christ Our Savior, part 2…
2. A Savior Prophesied vv. 22-23
2. A Savior Prophesied vv. 22-23
V. 22
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
We will get to what the prophets said in just a moment.
Three things I want to focus on here.
1 - All this was done to fulfill prophecy.
This is something we need to pay attention to.
When God makes a promise, He keeps it.
When God says He is going to do something, He does it.
In the OT He promised to send the Messiah, so He does.
2 - The Lord spoke this.
This is a testament to the inspiration of Scripture.
Matthew is not giving his opinion.
He is recording what took place.
God is the one who spoke prophecy through the men He chose.
3 - Through the prophet.
The prophets of old spoke and wrote at the direction of God.
Look at 2 Peter 1:20-21.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The Lord spoke through men to declare what He was going to do in the future!
He is very specific. That’s what we see in the next verse.
V. 23
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
We need to consider everything this prophecy contains.
1 - A virgin would be with child.
Some want this to be translated young woman.
There could be an argument for that in the Hebrew.
There is no mistaking what is meant in Greek.
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Matthew chooses a Greek word that definitely means virgin.
This is really important.
God chose this word.
This is why inspiration is important!
This is a miracle in two senses.
First that a virgin would conceive. Second that this is foretold as a future event.
This is what the Lord foretold through Isaiah.
2 - The virgin would bear a Son.
It is one thing to say someone would get pregnant.
It is another thing to know exactly what gender the baby will be.
3 - The Son will be Immanuel.
The child that would be born of a virgin will be “God with us.”
There really isn’t room for error or mistake here.
A virgin is going to conceive. She is going to give birth to a Son. That Son will be named Jesus. He will be God in the flesh. He will save His people from sin.
We could go even deeper into prophecy. We won’t spend a lot of time on it today, but let me mention a couple other things that were foretold.
The place of His birth - Micah 5:2
Who this child would be - Isaiah 9:6-7
God always keeps His Promises.
This means He will keep the promises he has made to us as well.
He promised that a virgin would conceive.
He promised that a Son would be born in Bethlehem.
He promised that this child would be Immanuel.
All these promises came true.
Jesus is God with us.
God became a man. He was born to save.
To accomplish our salvation, the God of all eternity humbled Himself and was crucified on the Cross.
Sing with me verses 3 and 4 of…
“Born To Die” (vv. 3-4)
The Savior was announced to Mary and Joseph.
He was prophesied in the OT.
Part 1 of our Story teaches us that our sin can be forgiven.
Part 2 teaches us that God always keeps His promises.
Jesus Christ Our Savior, part 3…
3. A Savior Born vv. 24-25
3. A Savior Born vv. 24-25
V. 24
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
I love the simplicity of this verse.
Joseph wakes up and does what he was told.
I really wish this was able to be said of me.
Folks, I don’t always choose to obey.
Joseph did.
He made a choice that came with great personal cost.
Look with me at John 8:40-41.
John 8:40-41
40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”
If they said this to Jesus, implying that He was a product of sexual immorality, what must people have said to and about Joseph and Mary?
Joseph, takes Mary to be his wife knowing full well that he will face a lifetime of sneers, contempt, and gossip.
He willingly faces all that out of obedience.
What are we willing to endure that we might walk in obedience to the Lord?
Joseph also sacrificed the normal physical relationship with his new bride.
V. 25
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
This word “know” is a polite way of referencing sexual intimacy.
Joseph and Mary did not have sexual intercourse until after Jesus was born.
This also reveals that she was not a perpetual virgin.
They both sacrificed to bring the Savior into the world.
The final phrase in this passage again demonstrates Joseph’s obedience.
He named the child Jesus.
This is significant because, to many, this would reinforce the assumption that Mary had cheated on Joseph.
He didn’t give the child his name.
Joseph and Mary bore all of this out of obedience.
A little bit of a side-note here.
Jesus is specifically designated as Mary’s firstborn son.
This only makes sense if she had more sons.
Scripture makes it clear that they had more children.
After Jesus was born Scripture reveals that they did all things required by Jewish law, they were obedient.
Are we?
Jesus is our Lord.
A Lord is someone to be obeyed.
A Lord is someone who commands.
Are we walking in obedience to His commands?
That is our third and final lesson.
Self-sacrificing obedience should be our response.
Sing with me
“Joy Has Dawned”
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
This is a time for believers to remember the price that was paid. To be reminded of the penalty of sin. Taking part of communion does not save you. This is simply a way for us to be reminded of what Christ has done. If you know the Lord as savior this morning, please join us in bread and juice as we remember Jesus Christ. These are only symbols, they represent the body and blood of our Savior. Examination – verses 26-32
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
OBSERVANCE OF COMMUNION
OBSERVANCE OF COMMUNION
The Bread (His Body) vv. 23-24 #134 “Emmanuel”
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Emmanuel Emmanuel
His name is called Emmanuel
God with us revealed in us
His name is called Emmanuel
The Cup (His Blood) v. 25 #137 “What Child Is This” (chorus)
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
This this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste haste to bring Him laud
The Babe the Son of Mary
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus, the Savior, was announced, prophesied, and born.
In Acts 4 as Peter is preaching a message before the Sanhedrin he says this in verse 12.
Acts 4:12
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The story of Christmas isn’t just about a baby in a manger.
The story of Christmas is about who that baby is.
The story of Christmas is about what that baby came to do.
The story of Christmas is about God keeping His promise to send a Savior.
Have you trusted in Him?
In personal lives, in our relationships, in our parenting, and in our marriages I want us to take our three lessons and make three commitments.
Lesson #1.
Your sin can be forgiven.
Commitment #1.
Seek forgiveness.
Lesson #2.
God always keeps His promises.
Commitment #2.
Trust the promises of God.
Lesson #3.
Self-sacrificing obedience should be our response.
Commitment #3.
Walk in full obedience.
When we seek forgiveness we are free of guilt and shame. We are then able to have authentic relationships.
When we trust God’s promises it frees us to put others first. We are then able to have right priorities,
When we walk in obedience we are free to live with purpose. We are then able to have lives of meaning.
Have a blessed Christmas as you remember the birth of Christ.
“O Come All Ye Faithful” - poss just v. 3