According to Plan

Introduction: Have you ever made a plan that did not come to pass? I’m sure many of us had several plans in mind when the year 2020 rolled around. However, I’m also sure that many of those plans probably toppled over along the way. Perhaps you have experienced some things this year that you did not plan for?

Transition: Today, as we consider the birth of Jesus, we are going to discover that every detail was according to plan. As we celebrate together the true joy of Christmas we do so because God had a plan that was fulfilled perfectly. Every aspect of Jesus’ birth was accomplished according to God’s plan to save His people form their sin. God has never had to make a plan B. He has never been caught off guard. He never once went back to the drawing board. Every nuance of Jesus’ birth went according to plan.

Question: As we begin today I want to offer you a question to guide our time together. Is my life going according to plan?

Is my life going according to God’s plan?

Am I enjoying the fulfillment of God’s plan? Is Jesus my Savior according to the plan of God?

Read: Follow along with me in your copy of God’s word as we read Matthew 1:18-25

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.

Pray

Transition: There are five details from this passage that reveal Jesus’ birth was according to plan.

Family Tree

Explanation: First, notice the family tree of Jesus given in verses 1-17. The reason God gave Matthew this list of names to record was in order to show that Jesus had the right pedigree for being the promised Messiah. Notice that he traces Jesus family line all the way to Abraham. The reason this is significant is because God had made a promise with Abraham to bless all the nations through his descendants. In Genesis 12:1-3 God first offers this promise when He says…

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Point: The family tree of Jesus reveals Him as the promised decedent who would extend the blessing of God to all the families of the earth. God initiated a covenant with the man of faith, Abraham. And God used this special family to bring about a blessing to all the families of the earth. So that all who believe in Christ might be reconciled to God.

Holy Spirit Conception

Explanation: the second observation to notice is the Holy Spirit conception in verse 18. The young virgin Mary was a woman of faith in the God of Abraham. We know this to be true because when she was called upon to be the mother of Christ she willing yielded by saying, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

The reason the Holy Spirit conception is such an important aspect of God’s plan , is that it reveals the uniqueness of Christ. Since He is born of a woman, He is fully human. Since He is conceived from the Holy Spirit, He is fully God. We see these two titles of Jesus used often throughout the gospels. The Son of man and the Son of God. Jesus, who is the second person of the Godhead, is the uniquely begotten Son of God.

Point: Why is the unique identity of Christ so important to the plan of God? Because, as the Son of God, His life, death, and Resurrection perfectly satisfy the Holy requirements of God. His life was lived in perfect obedience to the will of the Father. His death was the perfect sacrifice for the wrath of God against sin. As the Son of God, the grave could not keep Him, and he arose the victor over sin and death.

As the Son of man, He experienced every temptation as the rest of humanity, yet without sin. Since he is fully human he was able to die. Since he was fully human he showcases the power of God over sin and gives those who belong to Him hope of a bodily Resurrection someday. According to plan, Mary was found to be with child, conceived from the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.

Angel Announcement

Explanation: The third observation from this text that we should notice is the Angel announcement in verses 19-21. The Jewish custom for marriage in the first century started with a betrothal. This was a contractual promise between families that was legally binding. So even though Joseph and Mary were not living in the same home nor sharing the congeal rights of husband and wife, they were already bound together.

Now, can you imagine the turmoil in Joseph's mind when he discovered that Mary was with child? However, we are told that he was a just man, and resolved to divorce her quietly. Joseph was a man of faith the promise making God of Abraham, and he was going to do his best to not drag Mary through the public shame of divorce. But, as he was pondering these things an Angel came to set his mind straight.

An angel as described here, is a messenger of God. They were created by God for His glory, to serve Him in various ways. Reading through the Bible we see many cases where angels came to people delivering messages from God. In Joseph’s case, the angel came to communicate to him that everything that was happening with Mary was …according to plan. He need not fear. He need not follow through with the divorce. However, he will need to call the boy Jesus, because this baby will “save His people from their sin.”

Point: God was clearly communicating His plan to Joseph. A plan which included this baby in Mary's womb to , “save His people from their sin.” The plan of God to reconcile His people to Himself and forgive their sin was coming to pass through this child.

Transition: As most of us have discovered throughout our lives, circumstances do not always line up the way we thought they would. Life does not always go according to our plans. Be encouraged today, God has one singular plan that will not fail. No matter what viruses are stirring, no matter what riots are occuring, no matter what election results are determining, no matter the doubts brewing we may be pondering. Romans 8:28 ...In Christ, we are reminded and resolved to rise up as those who belong to Christ that nothing… absolutely nothing… happens outside the good plans of God.

Transition: We see the detail of Jesus family tree, the Holy Spirit conception, the angel announcement, and fourthly…

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Prophetic Purpose

Explanation: Now, notice the fourth observation of this passage in verse 22-23. The apostle Mathew gives some interpretive insight into the details surrounding Jesus birth. Notice that he says in verse 22, “All this.. took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.” Then, he quotes from the Old testament prophet Isiah in verse 23. (read) Matthew 1:23

Matthew 1:23 ESV

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

Throughout all of Matthew's gospel we find this repeated point. That Jesus was fulfilling the predicted plans of God which were written by the prophets of God in the Old testament. Isiah preached and wrote his prophesies approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus. He wrote to the nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, to remind them that the promises of God would come to pass. Many of the prophets included the fact that there would be a Messiah come. Who according to Genesis 3:15 would be the descendant of Eve and crush the head of the serpent. In effect, there would be one who reverses the curse of sin and death.

Point: According to the plan of God, Jesus.. the messiah was arriving to save his people from sin and death. In other words, Jesus is not some arbitrary prophet who should up unexpectedly and convinced his peers that he was special. No, rather, Jesus conception, birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and soon return are all according to plan. This helps us realize that when we entrust our lives to Christ we are trusting the word of God that was prophesied concerning the messiah. The written word of prophesy offers further validation to the identity of Jesus who is the promised Christ.

Obedient Response

Explanation: Follow me now to the last two verse of Matthew chapter one where we discover an obedient response. Verse 24 tells us that when Joseph woke up from his sleep he obeyed what the angel of the Lord commanded.

At the time Joseph was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the new testament had not yet been written. It would be about 30 years before Jesus went to the cross to die for the sins of His people. It would be a little while before the apostles that Jesus appointed would carry the gospel message about His life death and resurrection to the world. It would be awhile before the apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit to copy down the very words of God on parchment. My point is this, Joseph needed the angelic messenger of the Lord to convince him that what had been written about the Messiah was coming to pass in his betrothed wife. You and I do not need an angel from heaven to get our attention. We have the eye witness account of men of God, moved by the Spirit of God, to record the Word of God. And that message of the gospel according to plan is what is being preached to you today.

According to the Scriptures, Jesus died in the place of sinners as the perfect sacrifice for sin. According the Scriptures he was buried for three days. According to the Scriptures God raised His body from the grave victorious over sin and death. This is good news, because in Christ, your sins can be forgiven.

Closing: Joseph awoke after hearing the confirming truth about the plan of God and responded in obedience. That obedience revealed his trust in God. Today, you have heard the truth about Jesus Christ according to the plan of God. Will you trust Him? Will you turn from sin and by faith surrender to Christ? Only in Christ alone can your sins be forgiven, and you be made right with God. Will you respond in obedience to His plan today? It is no mistake that you are gathered in this place today. God has a plan. A plan that you can be a part of. Will you trust Him?