Prepared & Receiving the Christ like Joseph
Notes
Transcript
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
We have seen the remarkable faith and obedience of Mary in receiving the miraculous conceived Son of God and the one who is the Son of Man to be set up on as the King and Saviour of the world. Mary’s response was one of trembling service - in one sense so unique the mother of our Lord, in another sense we are all called to follow the model of Mary’s faith - and also have Jesus born in us. We also have seen who we are to receive based on the angel’s description of the Daniel 7 Son of Man who is fully God yet also human reigning!
Well this morning , in making sure that we are receiving the Christ and preparing our lives for His reign, we look at how the earthly adoptive father of Jesus received Him. This evening we will look at the two names that we must know him by that the angel centers this story on - you must name him Jesus, you pl, all of us , the Messiah’s people - must call on him as Immanuel - the one who bring the mystery of God with us. not only the one who saves us from our sin, but the one who gets us out of bondage of exile!
Now most of us only have a cartoon version understanding of Joseph. Mary she is drawn in vivid full colour narrative, and as we saw appears in the middle of Jesus ministry, and then at the end, and then with John. But Joseph it would seem dies before Jesus public ministry. Joseph in Matthew 1 not in full colour narrative. This is like a black & white movie, and the focus is on how Joseph becomes the legal adoptive Father of Jesus, and how the Messiah entering Joseph family , the tribe and line of David, and Abraham, how this Son of God adopted into that family brings the greatest gift of the world to that house for the world! The focus that Matthew gives is on the repeated - take Mary don’t divorce, take her, and the child and give Him the two names that explain Him as the very center of our lives and even of the life of the whole world!
KEY TRUTH: When Christ is received with the faith of Joseph, everything gets rearranged around a new center of loving-compassion in our lives.
So here we have Joseph , that handsome young man across town from his girl friend and now fiance Mary. Matthew narrates the problem that we know, and Mary knows but Joseph is in the dark about. Matthew only hints at the truth all Christians believed and Luke fully described: the Holy Spirit not as a father, but as creative agent like in the first creation, the Holy Spirit by His power and overshadowing joined together the Person of the Son of God with the human nature - mysterious an wonderful union - one person but fully human nature from Mary, and fully divine nature as God - coming into this world without sin - to start a new creation a new humanity. But it seems Mary hasn’t tried to explain this miracle and mystery, waits on the Lord. And Joseph sees she is pregnant - and can you imagine a girl in our congregation on outreach team -giving testimonies.. and after youth retreat - stands up here and say I just want to tell you what God is doing in my life, so wonderful - feel so close, and I am pregnant by no one at all.
We don’t know what awkward conversations followed, but we do know that engagement back then not like now. It was much more serious and formal a legal arrangement, already called husband and wife, but not wedding, not come together meaning make one household, not consummate their relationship. And when one committed adultery one part of Jewish oral law required a formal and public divorce. And Joseph not spiteful but thinking someone else involved - as righteous man. Doesn't mean perfect, holier than thou. He is not sin free or innocent, but in a covenant relationship with God by grace. but keeper of God’s ways, close to God walked with him, cared about his will. He loves Mary and wants God’s way, so rather than exposing her to harsh penalty of law or public shunning for the rest of her life. Joseph knowing an other oral tradition, knows with just two witness, kind of like private settlement can divorce. And here we discover the first element of Joseph's faith:
A. Joseph has a patient faith that waits on the Lord and His Word.
Not only does Joseph not explode with anger. And decide with haste. Isaiah 28:16
therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
That’s often what we do - when get to a dead-end, facing door slammed in our face. It is surprising how the Lord allows this in our lives - we can’t tell what He is up to in the middle of it; our lives are momentarily shattered, and only God knows what he plans to accomplish for our good and salvation through the hard times. Joseph thinks he’s got the way to move on - be just and be merciful. But notice what he does, he waits, he sleeps on it. And in the middle of the patient , testing of our plans,and purposes, if God’s wills, Lord by revelation and by the counsel of those who know your Word - I remain open to you changing my plans. Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
And Joseph in wonderful revelation receive the Word of God from the angel. Yes there is the immediate truth that changes his relationship with Mary - she hasn’t be unfaithful no adultery has happened. But even more - what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit! OK that’s even more, but what is the focus of this passage you must name Him Jesus and he shall be called by His people Immanuel!
Tonight we’ll see the heart of these two essential names for receiving Jesus are Jehovah is My HELP and GOD IS WITH US! But for now just understand that for a Jewish man who knew the Scriptures, God in Joseph patient waiting faith has just said - this One you and Mary must receive is not just God Himself incarnate, He is God coming to do work of rescuing you and me and this whole world from all its mess in sin, death and evil IT is God drawing so near to us - like OT picture God in our midst.
Now I don’t doubt that you have closed doors in your life, you fell like you are staring into a black hole from time to time. I don’t doubt things circumstance have you calling out Help. And Lord I am alone come to me!
And I’ve got to tell you that the ultimate answer is not just to make that particularly hard circumstance go away, nor to just get the help and comfort for that particular circumstance. Ultimately the help and the comfort - is in this Child that will make all things new. Who must become your help and comfort first of all in the biggest ways. And what Joseph models is that means prayerfully waiting upon the LORD , and then by faith believing what He reveals now in Here about this Jesus! But consider next how
B. Joseph has a risky self-giving faith/love that is willing to lose some, to gain all
To understand what Joseph's faith was willing to risk and what he was willing to give. Let me walk you back to the Nazareth of Jesus day.. As you know occupied by Rome. Rome put Idumean Herod Antipas in charge of Galilee who right at this time rebuilt city of Sepporah 6.5 km from Nazareth. They had magnificent theatre, mona lisa image in mosaic on floor of big council hall, hippodrome for chariot racing, both stone and wood work so intricate still stands today. And every craftsman carpenter in 50 mile radius enlisted to work with good pay. Joseph had a upstanding but also comfortable prosperous life ahead of him. An understandable divorce here, would mean long line of other pious women - he could marry. But the point of God’s story with Joseph is not that he was a swell guy and had a nice life.
The point of God’s story with Joseph and Mary and really you and me - is that we meet the Christ-child and knowing the salvation and restoration and fullness of life that He will bring - we live by FAITH = FORSAKING ALL I TRUST IN HIM, FORWARD ALL THINGS TO HIM..
Now think of the cost, and what Joseph so willing to give up- for the rest of Joseph’s life -if he takes Mary in marriage they will all think in that religiously legalistic time - that Joseph morally blew it - and they’’ll think that of his wife. Jesus himself will be considered an illegitimate child, a mamser - unclean. We see this John 8 . Joseph is soon going to expose himself to not only religious corn, but political threat, willing to become a refugee flee with nothing but wisemens’ gift to Egypt. And why?
Well Matthew is emphasizing what Joseph can give not only to Mary who is going to need the help of an understanding faith-filled partner, but to the Messiah himself. What can Joseph give Jesus. Matthew emphasis in Matthew 1:16 that Joseph wasn’t the biological father of the Christ, only Mary is biological mother.
and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
But the whole beginning of Matthew is that this is new genesis the books and genealogy of origins for God’s new humanity. And if Joseph hadn’t adopted Jesus into his earthly family, his tribe of Judah, his line to throne off David, that there would be no Messiah and salvation, and kingdom of God on earth. But Joseph gives up all his dreams, he gives up his dreams of having his won first born son, all in light of partnering with Mary to be the earthly father and family of Mary and of Jesus. Only other person in the new Testament called son of David is Joseph, It would seem he must die and make way for Jesus to take that throne. And in this angelic announcement - he knwos he will be know regular merely human Jewish king like David. But the one who saves from sin as God, and the one who will be God with us. But it is only as God does this by becoming the very human Messiah that this can happen.
God’s uses Joseph’s adopting love - so that Jesus the Son of God can find his identity in being the fulfillment of all the OT promises of promise seed of Abraham and David.
Presb scholar Machen put it this way: Joseph’s adoption of Jesus means Jesus belongs “to the house of David just as truly as if he were in a physical sense the son of Joseph. He was a gift of God to the Davidic house, not less truly, but on the contrary in a more wonderful way than if he had been descended from David by ordinary generation.”2 It is through Joseph that Jesus finds his identity as the fulfillment of the Old Testament promise. It is through Joseph’s legal fatherhood of Jesus that “the hopes and fears of all the years” find their realization in the final son of Abraham, son of David, and son of Israel. Think about the response of Joseph’s adopting love means for the salvation of the world. Astounding!
And that brings us to the application of Joseph’s faith in our lives today:
C. Joseph’s passive faith in the Messiah resulted in an active compassion that adopts the orphan and the widow.
We have tried to imagine Mary’s life if Joseph had selfishly said I don’t want live for this forgiver of sin and bringer of God’s presence. i want to live for my nice comfy life full of pleasure and reputation for myself.
But beyond that try to imagine Jesus life, not just outside the line of David, but when Herod came hunting him down, fleeing to Egypt. Consider as so many young men and women in our culture right now growing up with out a father - placing hand over kids hand teaching them a tool or trade. Imagine Jesus growing up and in the field along the way, at the dinner table none - to teach him how to pray and the Scriptures, the shem. It is not just that Joseph offered that to to the Messiah. It’ also that his great love offered that to someone who would have otherwise been orphaned, widowed. God uses Joseph’s response of faith as an mirror, an icon, a pciture of HIs own adopting love in this world!
You know how that was lifted up in the OT: Exodus. You know how Job raised up even in suffering he had to endure: Job 31:16-18
“If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow),
How much of that kind of love is in us. Doesn’t have to be just literal orphans and widows or single moms. Though we are parenting iwth Envisage. Some of us are called like Marylou to Foster, even to Adopt. But it can relatives of ours growing up with out spiritual fathers or mothers. It can be just the lonely, the outsider.
Do you remember Jesus saying when you throw a party - maybe even if limited to 10 or 25 in COVID -don’t just invite your friends, those who pay you back in someone - how about a neighbour not expect, how about …
Joseph was that kind of man because his faith worked by action. He modelled that. Joseph later did have biological children. One of Jesus half brothers was James, not the Apostle , but one who didn’t believe at first but later seeing Jesus full life death rising - he did;. And he had seen what his dad did for the Messiah from young age. He had seen Joseph model adopting love - and so that James brother of Jesus writes in James 1:27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Rest of Jesus growing up years, Joseph's heart went out to him. Jesus learned to call him Dad before even in His human nature God the Father. Joseph made space for him. What love does - in family, but also those outsiders that God is calling us to model this same faith and love to . What true faith and adopting compassion does in a believer- not just a model for parents but for a whole church, married, and single alike - to love and invest and make room for. I wonder if you have a child you invest in, I wonder if an adult that in some way on the outside - welcome in.
Conclusion: When Christ is received with the faith of Joseph, the centre of your life changes to have Jesus Christ and His loving compassion being what everything else revolves around.
But let me conclude just 5 minutes with a story of how its only when you understand Christ the Living God comes as Messiah that you will begin to operate your life with that kind of love.
Perhaps I best illustrate how getting this changes everything. C.S. Lewis writes:
Imagine that a famous composer had written a great symphony, so marvellous that it was played all over the world. Yet whenever it was played, orchestras and their conductors, musicologists, critics, and audiences all felt exactly the same thing: the music left its hearers with a _ sense of being incomplete, unfinished, as though there was ‘something else to come’.
Then a researcher discovers a hitherto uncatalogued manuscript in the composer’s handwriting. It is is an astonishing piece of music in its own right. In some respects it is mysterious, difficult fully to understand, and yet magnificent. There are elements in it that are wholly unexpected. Then the truth begins to dawn: this is the missing final movement. When played as the climax, the symphony does two things. First, it makes sense of the whole, and removes its incompleteness. Then Second, it not only makes sense of the earlier movements but seems to take over the whole, as if the first three movements, for all their greatness, were but a stepping-stone or a series of clues to the final movement.
C.S. Lewis as unbeliever, smart together - but missing something - started to hear the new music. Louder, clearer, more attractive, unbearable highlights our lack of beauty and our life in sin. Then the music leads us to the Musician, and we discover that he is also the Composer and Conductor. He has written the score, conducted the symphony, and led the orchestra himself And we are to see the one who composed it and makes sense of it. In these two names JESHUA - JEHAVAH Saves from sin, and Immanuel God really with us …
Look tonight at the OT promises with those two names - so we can prepare our lies to receive from this ONE - but for this morning - picture Joseph looking at Mary’s tummy, picture him when the child comes and grows, and he faithfully make space , and provides for his growth - and he says: This is the One who makes sense of the whole world story, makes sense of my story. Can only imagine that as the light of Christ welcomed into Joseph’s life, born from above and his life gets a new centre - God has come in order to be m y Saviour - “You are the One who was promised, You are Jesus - comes to save your people and that includes me. Though Joseph most likely didn't live long enough to see how Jesus fulfill it all on the Cross and Rising Again and Ascending,. Really unlike Mary not the first Christ, but the last of a long line of OT believers - who beleived the promises. Like you and me though, not fully able to explain that virgin conception and birth of Jesus, nor exactly what happened on the cross and resurrection, but we know enough to trust Jesus and God did - Jesus you came to release me from my sin, Jesus you came to restore us and bring us into God’s very presence. Jesus I will live for you and offer myself in compassionate love to you and to this world. Amen.