The Characters of Christmas: Joseph and Mary, Indiana Jones, Anna and Elsa (2)

Joseph Matthew 1:18-25

We are in the series the Characters of Christmas.

Thus far, we have looked villains like King Herod, Satan and our own hearts. (2 weeks ago)

And we have looked a surprising character last week—the Holy Spirit.

This week we are looking at 2 main characters in the Christmas story that are commonly talked about.

Before I mention them—question for you—I have been doing this every week. Turn to you neighbor or comment online—who are some of your favorite characters? in books? movies? and why? who are your favorite main characters, because main characters drive the plot…they make it interesting…they are why you keep watching and reading...

some of the most famous main characters might be people like Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker

Indiana Jones—there is another one coming out—Harrison Ford will be 80 at that point—but he keeps rocking that character.

My son and daughter—2 oldest would say Probably Captain Underpants or Junie B. Jones.

Anna and Elsa from Frozen...

the thing about a good main character that keeps us reading, watching…they are so relatable, aren’t they? we see ourselves in them in some way. we wrestle with their decisions and think—what would I have done? they encourage us. they challenge us! we identify with them…we yell at them when they make a bad decision!

and I want you to identify as much as you can—by being encourage or challenged with our 2 main characters today—Joseph and Mary.....

2 of the most famous main characters in the Christmas story.

Let me read Matthew 1:18-25—from Joseph’s standpoint...

and then we will read Luke 1:26-38 — from Mary’s standpoint...

I have often heard comedians on the differences between men and women…it is interesting that Joseph’s perspective is a lot shorter and to the point, and that Mary’s perspective is a little longer...

Scriptures: Matthew 1:18-25 (Joseph) and Luke 1:26-38 (Mary)

Matthew 1:18–25 NIV

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Luke 1:26–38 NIV

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

These are very familiar words, almost too familiar for some of us.

My goal for us today is to help us relate to Joseph and Mary...

more specifically—how do we identify—especially as it concerns our relationship with Jesus

whether you are a believer or if you are not a believer your potential relationship with Jesus.

I want you to be both encouraged…and challenged---as we think about what do we learn about following Jesus Christ from Joseph and Mary…the parents of Jesus.

What do we learn about following Jesus from Joseph and Mary—how can we relate to them...

Following Jesus is costly… (shame…, endangerment...)

This idea of the costliness of following Jesus comes out a little more in the Matthew text, looking at Joseph.

Matthew 1:18–19 NIV

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

Being pledged to be married in that culture—was more binding and more committing than being engaged today. It was legally binding! and could only be broken by a divorce. If the husband were to die during this period, the engaged woman would be considered a widow. That’s how serious this engagement period was for this young couple in a Jewish culture.

and to add to this—if one of the fiances cheats on their spouse, because the engagement period is so serious it is equivalent to adultery!

So Joseph finds himself in a tough situation. He knows that his fiance is pregnant (and he’s not the father!) and in that culture, in his Jewish belief system, this constitutes grounds for divorce; that’s what would be expected! and he would even be allowed to publically shame his fiance so that he could protect his reputation. he could divorce, wash his hands clean, and move on with his life...

yet the angel shows up to Joseph in a dream and tells him to get married because Mary is pregnant through the Holy Spirit!

One scholar says “Everyone in that shame and honor culture will know that this child was not born nine or ten months after they got married; they will know she is already pregnant. That would mean either Joseph and Mary had sex before marriage or she was unfaithful to him, and as a result, they are going to be shamed, maybe shunned, socially excluded, and rejected. they are going to be 2nd class citizens forever!”

Imagine Joseph trying to explain this to his friends— “I am not the father, nor is any other man....I promise It’s the Holy Spirit.” “Yeah right, Joseph—heard that one before.”

We feel that a little bit of that shame and honor culture in a small town, in a rural area, but not nearly to the extent that Joseph and Mary would have. Because of that culture, there would have been some shame, scandal, stigma surrounding Joseph and Mary their entire lives because of this.

Joseph and Mary are realizing that following Jesus Christ, having a relationship with God…is costly!

It’s like Jesus is saying, “If you follow me, you can kiss your good reputation goodbye...”

Following Jesus is still costly today…for some of you if you choose to follow Christ, your family will disown you, shun you, or at best think you are a little strange or this is a passing fad. there are some places in the world, that you could still be killed.

In Matthew 2—Joseph and Mary would be endangered by King Herod—who issued all boys 2 and under killed...and have to run from their lives in Egypt...

and if you are committed to following Christ and living that out daily—some of your friends at school some of your co-workers, maybe a professor will think you have gone mad. You might get less invites to hang out because of the constant reminder of conviction that you are.

so following Jesus—Joseph and Mary learn it is costly…shame…reputation, endangerment...

it’s still costly today...

2. Following Jesus requires surrender “I am the Lord’s servant...”

we see this with Joseph:

Matthew 1:24 NIV

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

We see this with Mary

Luke 1:38 NIV

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Joseph and Mary are in incredible model of surrender and obedience.

and what’s remarkable is that they are young.

One NT scholar says, “Betrothal usually happened about the age of twelve (arranged by the two sets of parents), with the wedding a year later. The husbands were usually about eighteen (in order to be established financially). (Osborne, G. R. (2010). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 75). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.)

so if you are young—you are not excused from surrender. don’t just sit back and think you can’t make a difference. You absolutely can!! God expects that of you. You can set an example for us older people.

but back to this idea of surrender....

This doesn’t mean you check your brains out at the door…when it comes to following God.

if you look at Mary’s interaction with Gabriel the angel—she is trying to figure it out.

Luke 1:29 NIV

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

That word for wondered means to think, to strongly consider. She is thinking about what the angel is saying; she is considering. and then look at vs. 34

Luke 1:34 NIV

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel had said she will have a child yet she is a virgin. How will this be?

Mary’s reaction is just like any of our reactions would have been. Sometimes, we think people back then were more gullible or more superstitious but Mary is trying to figure it out; just like we would have. so surrender doesn’t mean just blind faith—Mary is interacting with God, asking questions, wondering—how will this be?

In addition, this surrender may be a process for some of us. sometimes we surrender our lives fully to God right away; sometimes it’s a journey, and just when you think you have surrendered everything, God reminds us— “What about this…what about that. Give it to me.”

“Even when Mary says that she is the Lord’s servant…may your word to me be fulfilled.”

I don’t think she understood everything. which brings up a great point---yes, we don’t need to check our brains at the door—but for some of us God asks us to surrender without knowing the full plan of the future. Mary didn’t know how everything would work out.

Abraham in the OT—was asked to leave his country and go to the land I will show you…he had just enough info.

same with Joseph and Mary. They had just enough info. and that’s often how God works in our lives—with just enough info.

I wonder what Joseph and Mary’s conversations were like after the angel appeared to each individually.

I wonder what their original plans were—to have a big family, lots of kids, a white picket fence, a successful career....

Jesus said “surrender all that to me.” I will take your plans and totally re-arrange them and change them.

Most of us if we are honest want to follow Jesus ON OUR TERMS. God I will follow you if you do x, y, and z. “Jesus I will obey you—but bless me, too, and what’s in it for me?” “But God don’t take too much control of my life.” “I still want to do what I want to do and be successful and not have too much suffering---that’s not too much to ask is it God?”

One author says—when we do this—we don’t want a Lord or a king—we want an adviser. someone who just gives us recommendations—but not absolutes. (Tim Keller—Hidden Christmas)

If you want to follow Jesus—whether starting to or continuing to—you give up the right to call the shots. you give up the right to be in control of your life. You give up the right to allow God to interrupt your plans—just like Joseph and Mary.

Our culture tells us— “be true yourself. Assert yourself. Be who you are.”

Jesus says, “die to yourself, take up your cross and follow me. and be who I created you to be.” Jesus says, “Don’t listen to your heart—listen to me.”

This also means—that we follow parts of the Bible that we may not like. If we surrender to Jesus—we accept everything it says about his teaching—the Bible’s views on sexuality for example—the Bible’s views on money and greed.

I know this is intimidating to surrender—but it’s also exciting!

If God is really God—the God of the universe who knows everything—who knows you even better than you know yourself…don’t we want Him to lead us? and guide us? and tell us who we really are? Doesn’t He know best—and doesn’t He have our best interest at heart...

The last point about following Jesus..

3. Following Jesus is worth it...

so far—i have focused on the cost, the sacrifice, the surrender…but it’s worth it. Why?

Here’s why #1 — because your sins are forgiven

Matthew 1:21

Matthew 1:21 NIV

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

This is why Jesus came. This was his mission—to save his people from their sins.

Jesus came because all of us have turned our backs on a holy and perfect God and want to live life our way, not his.

All of us have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, so all of us are separated from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and we need saving so we can be restored to a holy God!

and so if you surrender your life to Jesus—your sins can be forgiven before a holy God.

and it’s painful to first admit—we have to admit, “I have messed before the only eyes that matter—before God. I have failed to love him as he has asked me to and follow him.”

This takes guts to admit this. but admitting this before God is the path to transformation, the path to forgiveness to God, the path to joy, life, and peace, and hope, and purpose with God and comfort.

Following Jesus is worth it because it means your sin are forgiven—you get a relationship with God. This is our most fundamental need—to be right with God. and you get to be with God for eternity—even if you die—you are with God—to live is Christ to die is gain.

Joseph and Mary—were told all this, and understood it more—especially Mary as she watched her son die for the sins of the world.

Following Jesus is also worth it

#2 you get direction.

Joseph and Mary got lots of direction about their future (even if they didn’t know all the details). Their life changed from living for themselves to living for God.

and while it is costly, involves surrender—so many of us are direction-less. Not sure what to do.

there are so many options—too many, especially if you are younger. “I could do this. I could do that.” “I could date this person or that.”

ultimately what you do—whether career or job—doesn’t matter—what does matter—is surrendering your plans to God.

Joseph and Mary did—and they got tremendous direction; tremendous guidance. while their story is unique—when you follow Jesus—you get to cling to Jesus—and He shows you each step of the way.

#3 you get Jesus Christ Himself

The biggest benefit to following Jesus Christ—is you get to be with Jesus. you get a relationship with Jesus.

Matthew 1:23 NIV

23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

God is with you!

When you follow Christ—you get Jesus!

and think of how amazing this is

talk about Tim Keller’s Hidden Christmas—how much the OT longed for Jesus—Moses could only see his backside. nobody could see God’s face and live! the OT prophets longed to see God—if Moses were here, He would say—do you realize what you have? God took on flesh and dwelt among you—and you today can have God dwelling in you thru the HS—when you believe in Jesus! We longed for this! You get this!

also think of how God showed up—as a baby...”there is nothing like a baby. random strangers would come up to our baby at walmart and touch them—it was creepy—but babies are inviting—cute, cuddly—God took on flesh—became a baby—He is inviting us into this warm, personal, intimate relationship.

how can we be sure that God wants to be that intimate and warm with us?

Think of our main points--

Jesus Himself experienced a great cost to be with us. at Christmas time we celebrate, the infinite eternal God, the 2nd member of the Trinity—adding humanity to his already existing divinity. He became man. He left his heavenly glory to become a man.

and most of all at great cost to himself—he fulfilled his Father’s mission to die on the cross. At times, his family thought he was crazy. The religious leaders became his enemies. His own people rejected him.

And on the cross, Jesus Christ took an infinite debt of sin on himself—when he paid for our sin in our place. It cost him his life; it cost him being separated from God the Father on the cross. He experienced a type of hell. Jesus Christ went to great cost so you could have Him.

He, too, surrendered like Mary—saying “Not my will but yours be done.” He regularly surrendered to His Father’s mission on this earth—the Father and the Holy Spirit were constantly guiding the Son of God Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ did all these things for you and for his heavenly Father and thought it worth it.

so what will enable you to count the cost? What will enable you to surrender everything to Him.

Look at what Jesus did for you—he counted the cost, he surrendered, it was worth it to Him.

let’s pray.

Conclusion: There was one—who followed his Father’s will, and the leadership of the Holy Spirit—and he experienced incredible cost…

He too had to fully surrender to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane—He said— “not my will but your will be done...”

Following God’s will was completely worth it because He glorified His Father, He achieved a right relationship—salvation—for us with God, He conquered sin, and death, and the devil in one stroke, and He is at the right hand of the Father as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords