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Christmas Sermons
Christmas Series
THE CHARACTERS OF CHRISTMAS
Joseph- The Faithful One
Text: Matt. 1:17-25
Introduction:
We have already looked at Mary, the mother of Jesus, who we called the Favored One. The reason she was chosen was not on the basis of her character, there were many virgins that loved God in that day, but it was a sovereign act of the grace of God.
The second character we are going to consider is her husband Joseph. Joseph, of course, was merely the step-father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ lived in the womb of the virgin Mary, but it was God the Holy Ghost that begat the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew has the genealogy of Joseph. Joseph was Jesus’ father in the eyes of the law. Luke gives Mary’s genealogy. Mary and Joseph both descended from King David.
There are four women mentioned in the genealogy. They are Tamar (v.3), Rahab (v.5), Ruth (v.5), and Bathsheba (v.6). Mary is also mentioned. They illustrate the grace of God. Tamar was guilty of whoredom, yet God allowed her to be in the list of the ancestry of Christ. Rahab was a harlot and a foreigner, but was saved by faith. Ruth was a Moabitess and according to Deut. 23:3-6 she was excluded from the nation of Israel, yet she is included. Bathsheba was a partner to the awful sin of King David, yet God forgave her and permitted her to be one of Christ’s ancestors through Solomon. The story is this in history, "Where sin did abound, grace did much more abound" (Rom. 5:20).
Several names are left out of this genealogy. It was common among the Jews to leave out unimportant names to help their children remember and memorize the list. No Jew today has his legal genealogy because those records were destroyed when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. Jesus is the only Jew alive that can PROVE his rights to the throne of David.
We need to understand Hebrew marriage customs in the days of Jesus. Marriages were usually arranged by parents. Contracts were negotiated. After this was done the people were regard as being married and called husband and wife. However, they did not live together. Instead, the woman kept living with her parents and the man with his parents for a period of one year. The waiting period was to reveal the faithfulness of purity given concerning the bride. If she was found to be with child during that period, she was not pure, but obviously had been involved in an unfaithful sexual relationship. Then, the marriage could be annulled. If during the one-year waiting period showed the purity of the bride, the husband would then go to the house of the bride’s parents, and in a grand processional march would lead his bride back to his home. There they would begin to live together as husband and wife, then consummating their marriage
physically. It helps to keep this background in mind as we consider Joseph and Mary’s marital status.
Let’s consider some things about this man Joseph, who saw the Lord Jesus grow from infancy until his adulthood.
I feel I should mention to you there are two main Josephs mentioned in the Bible. There is the Old Testament character, Joseph, the son of Rachel, who was a godly man, finally becoming the second in command in Egypt under Pharaoh, and then another godly Joseph comes along in the New Testament, who was the step-father of the Lord Jesus.
Let’s consider Joseph, the Faithful Man as he is found in the Scriptures.
I. JOSEPH WAS A MORAL MAN
Mt 1:18 states, " Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
Notice the phrase "before they came together"(v.18). The relationship they already had would require a bill of divorcement if it was broken. The followed through as they should have, staying separated, until that period of trying purity, was all over.
We have already mentioned how Mary kept herself pure and was a virgin before Jesus was conceived. Joseph is also a person of sterling character. If some traditional records are correct and Joseph was a widower, then it took a man with moral principle to keep himself right, after having been married before, that is ,if he was married previously.
He knew he had not coaxed Mary to do something that would violate the moral laws of God. He knew they had no sexual relations during the engagement period. We find the phrase again in verse 18, "with child of the Holy Ghost."
Some tradition says that Joseph was much older than Mary, that he was a widower, and that he had already raised a family. I do not believe there is clear Biblical evidence, at least that I know of, to establish the age of Joseph.
Joseph was a moral man.
The moral fibers of a nation can be no stronger than the people who make it up. Pornography has taken a foothold in America like never before. It poisons the minds and the hearts of people as they let it infiltrate their inner life.
Joseph kept himself right morally.
Illustration:
I think of his counterpart in the Old Testament, Joseph. When he first went to Egypt, he was sold to the captain of Pharoah’s guard. He was a trustworthy worker, and given a very responsible position. Potiphar’s wife was attracted to him and sought to seduced him. When Joseph spurned her advances to him, to get back at him, she accused him of being the one who was the aggressor. As a result Joseph was imprisoned for several years, but he maintained the purity he had and the trust his employer had in him.
V. 25 says that Joseph, "Knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son." He stayed right all the time up to his marriage with Mary.
II. JOSEPH WAS A JUST MAN
Mt 1:19 declares, "Joseph her husband, being a just [man], and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily."
The Bible calls him in this verse a "just" man. I believe that indicates he was a "fair" man when it came to making judgments on situations that lay in front of him.
Do you know what Joseph could have done? He could have given Mary a bill of divorcement, taken her before the judges at the city gate, and caused a public scandal for her. As a result she could have been stoned to death by order of the elders of the city.
Deut. 22:23-24 says:
"23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you."
I know Mary was not guilty of such things, but a wrong judgment could have been given, and she could have been stoned to death at the city gate.
Note:
Just imagine how the neighbors talked when they found out that Mary was pregnant. I am sure the phone lines were about to burn into. No they did not have telephones, but they did have feet and tongues. Sometimes that can be a very bad combination. Now we use our automobiles more than we do our feet.
Joseph’s heart was broken when he received the new that Mary was pregnant. He could not imagine Mary having been unfaithful to him. His love for her overcame his first thoughts about what he would do in the situation. He loved her dearly and did not want any harm to come to her at all. He decided not to create a public scandal for her and would divorce her quietly, so as to not make it harder on Mary.
Then is when the angel came to Joseph in a dream.
What did the angel tell him? Her condition was not caused by man but through the Holy Spirit of God. The angel said in verse 20, "That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." What happened was not caused by man.
Can you imagine how that relieved Joseph? He knew for sure then, after the angel had appeared and conversed with him, that Mary was still pure and had been completely faithful to him. That angel let him know that Mary was carrying a Savior, the Lord Jesus, and that he would save his people from their sins.
Verse 19 when it uses the term "put away" that is synonymous with the New Testament term "divorce." He did not go headlong to divorce her but found out the facts.
III. JOSEPH WAS A THOUGHTFUL MAN
When he was thinking about all these things, and what would be right for him to do, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream (v.20).
He did not jump and make a rash decision. He was going to think things over because he wanted to do what was right concerning the person that he loved so much.
A. The Content of His Thinking
"these things" (v.20) What things? That which concerned someone he loved very dearly and deeply. He could not hardly bring himself to rush out divorce Mary, and bring her before the elder of the city. I believe Joseph knew that Mary would not betray his trust, but the evidence pointed otherwise. She had a child in her womb, and Joseph knew it was not his.
It pays to ponder much the decisions that we have to make as we go through this life, especially those which affects others.
B. The Communication In His Thinking
There was communication from the Lord as he thought through and pondered these things.
1. His fears were relieved (v.20)
"Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife." The angel of the Lord vouches for her purity and seeks to set the record clear with Joseph what had really happened.
This proves God cared much about Mary. That is why he sent the angel to tell her husband that what had occurred was a supernatural act of Holy God.
2. A miracle was declared (v. 20)
Note the phrase- "of the Holy Ghost."
The Spirit of God is very active in doing things in behalf of the Godhead. In Gen. 1:1 the earth was without form and void, darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. He operated there and brought order where there was nothing but chaos.
Here He (Holy Ghost) is the Divine agent in the conception of the Lord Jesus in the womb of the virgin Mary.
3. A name is revealed (v.30). His name shall be called "Jesus." He would be the New Testament Joshua that would led the people who would allow him into spiritual victory. Joshua in the OT led people into Canaan, which is a type of the spiritual victory of the believer.
That is a name at which the demons flee. There is something powerful in his blessed and precious name.
Rebuke Satan not in your own strength, but in the name of Jesus or in who Jesus is.
4. A mission is stated
"to save his people from their sins." His people was the children of Israel. They rejected Him, but He is not through with them, because as I have already stated, in a coming day, all of Israel shall be saved and shall turn unto the Lord. Read what Paul says about it sometime in the Book of Romans.
I am glad that Christ in the church age has turned in a very special way unto the Gentiles. The gospel was to the Jew first, but hallelujah to God for the "also to the Greeks." That includes you and me and we become a part of the spiritual seed of Abraham, but of course not his physical seed which have many promises in the OT just for them.
5. Prophecy recalled
v.23 is a reference to Isa. 7:14. How did Isaiah know what would come down the road hundreds of years later?
It had to be the spirit of prophecy that came upon him.
He even knew that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.
By the way: "Bethlehem" means
"House of Bread"
Spiritual bread for the whole world would
come out of Bethlehem.
No one could have told Isaiah about it, because no one else could have known. Only God knew, and the Holy Spirit of God revealed it to the prophets as they wrote the Scriptures. The writers of Scripture looked into and studied their own writings, because God gave the Bible.
IV. HE WAS A TOTALLY CO-OPERATIVE MAN
Mt 1:24 tells us, " Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife."
He accepted Mary earlier than usual because he felt that she needed him. He took her unto him as his wife, but there were no physical relations until Jesus was born.
The angel had told him to not fear to take Mary as His wife.
You never go wrong by obeying God.
Note:
If you were to ask Abraham, "Do you regret obeying God and leaving the Ur of Chaldees for a land that you knew nothing of?
He would tell you know.
If you were to ask Peter if he regretted obeying the Lord, even though he were thrown in prison for his preaching? He would tell you no. He saw a miracle when God took the fetters loosed and miraculously opened the close gate for Peter to go through as he escape the prison.
You just never go wrong by obeying what God tells you to do. Just make sure it is God. God will never disagree with His written Word, rightly divided. The Word and the Spirit never run cross grain or disagree.
The Bible says, "It is better to obey God than men"(Acts 5:29).
The authorities were telling them to shut up and stop preaching, but their highest allegiance was to God and His work.
Illustration:
Sir Leonard Wood once visited the King of France. The King was so pleased with him, he was invited to dinner the next day.
Sir Leonard went to the palace and the King meeting him in one of the halls said, "Why Sir Leonard, I did not expect to see you. How is it that you are here?"
He said to the King, "Did not your majesty invite me to dinner?"
He asked that with a very astonished look.
"Yes", said the King, "But you did not answer my invitation."
Woods reply was this, "A king’s invitation is never to be answered, but to be obeyed."
V. HE WAS A REWARDED MAN
What kind of rewards did Joseph receive because he was co-operative and obedient to God?
A. Special wife
If we walk with God he will see to it that we get a very special husband or wife. Mary was not just the every-day woman.
Man told my once, "Well, I married an every day woman."
I do not feel that way. God gave me an extraordinary woman to be my wife. I am not trying to get brownie points, I am stating a fact.
B. Special role
He would supervise the activities of Jesus in the days of his boyhood. Can you imagine being the stepfather of God? This is not a George Burns type of man. He was not a cigar sucking women chasing man like Burns who played "Oh God" where he has the role of "God" in a movie.
Joseph was a good man. Taught Jesus to work and to deal with others.
Lu 2:52 --"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."
Jesus did not abuse other young people. Some of the apocryphal books picture Jesus as striking another young person dead because he was angry with Him. That’s just not Christ!
C. Special realization
That Christ was God. He knew. No liberal or modernist could talk Joseph out of that. He knew the real story of what happened.
Conclusion:
What lessons there are to learn from Joseph!
SERMON
FROM DR. TOM WALKER- PASTOR ZION HILL BAPTIST
CHURCH- MARION, NC- USA
Site created by
Tom Walker