Latest revision as of 19:27, 2 December 2024

Matthew 1:18-25 The Expectant Family Portrait

Jesus was born to save us from our sins and be God dwelling among us; the Lamb of God.

Theological Proposition/Focus:Jesus was born to save us from our sins and be God dwelling among us; the Lamb of God. The birth of Jesus is a transformative event that signals God's commitment to our salvation and His desire to dwell within our hearts.

Christ Focus:Throughout the Scriptures, Jesus is shown as the fulfillment of God's promise to dwell among His people. His birth marks the beginning of God's ultimate revelation and redemptive work in humanity.

Homiletical Proposition/Application:This sermon speaks directly to the struggles of adults dealing with doubt, fear, and the challenges of life. By recognizing that Jesus was born to save us and that God is present among us, listeners can find hope and reassurance in their daily lives.

Introduction:

Image: Trying to solve a problem you don't really understand.

I am all about thinking outside of the box. In fact, thinking outside of the box is generally what led to the results I proved and published. But sometimes, it takes more than just outside-the-box thinking to solve a problem.

Have you ever watched someone try to solve a problem they really didn't understand? I used to see this a lot when I was at UNL. There were many times when someone would come to me claiming to have solved a significant mathematical problem. Usually, within the first 30 seconds of the conversation, I would realize that they had not only failed to solve the problem but really didn't even understand the problem to start with.

We need to realize that there are problems we don't even fully understand, let alone have the resources or ability to solve. There are times when the only thing we can do is fully turn to God to take care of the problems we are facing.

The biggest problem any of us face is the problem of sin, and for that, we need God.

Need: We need to prepare our hearts to trust God.

Preview: Life is full of challenges but some challenges rise to the top and these extraordinary problems require nothing short of divine intervention, radical trust, and authentic faith.

Setting the Stage:

Have you ever opened up your Bible to Matthew 1, seen the genealogy, and thought, "I'm just going to skip that today." I want to tell you that the genealogies really are interesting if you take the time to dig into them.

Take a look at Matthew 1:16 "and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah."

Notice something significant. The text identifies both Mary and Joseph the parents of Jesus but is careful to tell us that Jesus was born not to Mary and Joseph but just to Mary. For a reader who is not familiar with the story, this statement warrants further explanation. That further explanation is exactly what we are going to cover in verses 18-25.

Text: Matthew 1:18-25 read all at the beginning.

Body

Divine Intervention — Extraordinary problems require divine solutions (18-21).

When faced with life's most overwhelming challenges, human solutions fall short. In Matthew 1, God intervenes in a miraculous way, providing a Savior to solve humanity's deepest problem—sin. His solutions are always greater than our circumstances.

The Problem of Sin

When we talk about fallen humanity we don't mean just all the bad things people do! We truly mean a state of humanity.

Before we dig into the text itself, I want to remind you of the problem of sin. Baptists often get a bad rap because we talk about sin so much. But that rap, I think, is because what we mean by sin is so often misunderstood. Let me explain a little. A few weeks ago, I was talking with someone, and they told me something that has stuck with me. They said, "I realize that when you talk about the fallenness of humanity, you mean something different than I thought." "I thought you were referring to the idea that we Americans do a lot of wrong things and need to change. But now I see you are talking about a state of humanity since the beginning."

Fallenness is not a cultural or political state, it is a existential state.

This individual was hearing a cultural, maybe even a political statement, when I talked about sin and fallenness but came to realize that I was talking about something far bigger than those minor problems. I was talking about a global problem that affects all of creation.

Sin is more than the problems of a specific society, some cultural phenomena, or even something that can be fixed with better laws!

When we think of sin as the problems of a specific society, we are thinking too small. When we think of sin as a cultural phenomenon, we are generally thinking too highly of ourselves. When we think of sin as something that can be solved with the right laws, we are missing the theological truth of law and grace.

The problem of sin is an extraordinary problem that we are hopelessly to solve on our own.

We need to talk about sin in the manner of Romans 5:12:

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—"

When we talk about sin in this way, we realize that the problem of sin is an extraordinary problem. With this in mind, let's dig into verses 18-19.

It is only with a right understanding of sin that we can really understand Christmas.

Image: More regular socks, the gift nobody wants.

Ok, I will admit I kinda like socks but I am odd. Here is a fact, we all want to believe that "it is the thought that counts" but if you don't really want or need a particular gift you probably won't appreciate the gift like you might appreciate something else. My uncle always told us, don't get your mom a new dish for Christmas, get her the dish because she cooks you dinner, find something else to get her for Christmas.

I am talking about sin today because we need to understand our need of the gift of Christ to truly appreciate the gift of Christ.

Joseph's Just Decision (18-19)

Joseph had a problem, Mary's child could not be his, to avoid scandal Joseph opts for a private divorce.

Verse 18 begins with what probably seemed like a pretty big problem to Joseph. Joseph's fiancée, Mary, has a problem. Mary is pregnant, and there is no physical way that Joseph could be the father. Joseph, initially heartbroken by Mary's pregnancy, chooses to divorce her quietly to avoid public scandal.

Joseph's righteous resolve deserve acknowledgment.

The resolve and righteousness of Joseph amidst unexpected and challenging news is incredible. Joseph is faced with an extraordinary problem. Mary has been unfaithful and is deserving of death. Joseph desires to honor God and be faithful to God's holy standard, but he also is a caring and loving person. His response reflects a choice to honor God and treat Mary well.

Joseph's response to Mary is a just response. But extraordinary problems require divine solutions.

I want us to understand something. Joseph's response to Mary is a just response. In fact, faced with an extraordinary problem, Joseph comes up with a pretty reasonable solution. But remember, extraordinary problems require divine solutions.

The Angel's Assuring Announcement (20-21)

The angel's message to Joseph reassures him of God's profound plan.

The name 'Jesus,' meaning 'God saves,' is a reminder of the purpose of His birth.

Through the angel, we see that God communicates assurance and clarifies His mission to save.

This point underscores God's active engagement in personal lives and His ultimate plan for redemption.

The problem of sin truly is an extraordinary problem, but it is not a problem that God cannot solve.

God's solution gave Joseph pause and caused him to consider.

The text tells us that "after he had considered this." The Greek word ἐνθυμηθέντος (to consider) is a genitive aorist passive participle. The construction ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐνθυμηθέντος is what is known as a genitive absolute, a grammatical construction where a participle and its subject both appear in the genitive case, forming a self-contained clause. It functions independently of the main sentence and often provides background information, such as time, cause, condition, or circumstance.

Here, what we can picture is that Joseph has spent time considering what he is going to do and finally comes to the conclusion that it is time to act. Joseph will privately divorce Mary. But then behold, an angel appears! Moreover, this angel has a very special message for Joseph: Don't be afraid to take Mary.

What is this "don't be afraid" business about? Joseph had every reason to be afraid:

• An angel is speaking to Joseph.
• The one whom he was going to need to trust the most—his wife—had seemingly violated that trust.
• Even if Mary is innocent, nobody is going to believe this, and Joseph is going to be the laughingstock of the town.
• Joseph is going to bear a great responsibility that he didn't ask for.

Nevertheless, the message is simple: Joseph, don't be afraid, but do change your plans. Go forward with the marriage. Oh, and by the way, you, Joseph, are to call this child Jesus.

Last week, we talked about the significance of the name Jesus, so I don't want to dig into that today. What I want to focus on today is the command.

Look at the Greek τέξεται δὲ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. The word τέξεται (to give birth) is a third-person verb. In other words, the angel is telling Joseph that Mary will give birth. Guys often get a bad rap for not having to do any of the work in childbirth, and here the text really emphasizes the role Mary plays in the birth. Mary is the one giving birth, but immediately following Mary's work, there is a contrast. The Greek word καλέσεις (to call) is a second-person future (in this case, the future carries imperatival force). Joseph, you are to name the child! In Luke 1:31, Mary was told to name the child Jesus, so between the two accounts, we know that both parents are given the command to name the child.

Why does this matter? Because by giving the child a name, Joseph is being told to adopt the child.

Joseph is told to take part in the divine solution to the extraordinary problem of sin. Joseph thought he was solving the problem of one person's (Mary's) sin. It turns out he was about to be a part of a much bigger task.

The question remains: Would Joseph be up to the task?

Radical Trust — God called Joseph to deep, unwavering faith (22-25).

God doesn't call us to a shallow or convenient faith but to a trust that challenges and transforms us. Joseph's obedience shows the kind of radical trust that embraces God's will, even when it defies logic or societal expectations.

Prophecy's Powerful Fulfillment (22-23)

Here, in the middle of our story from Joseph's perspective, we are invited to pull back the curtain a little into God's plan and see how God is faithfully at work fulfilling prophecy.

The prophecy fulfillment shares the larger divine storyline of Emmanuel, 'God with us.' This fulfillment shows God's unwavering promise to be present among His people, enhancing the reality that Jesus embodies God's presence. But it also helps us understand that God's invitation for Joseph to participate in His plan of redemption was not a surprise to God. God knew what He would do, and this was one step in the process of God's plan.

Nevertheless, we need to understand that this required Joseph to radically trust God.

There has been a lot written on the use of Isaiah 7:14 in Matthew 1:23, and Old Testament scholars spend a lot of time debating how the Hebrew word הַעַלְמָה (almâh) should be translated. But the passage here makes it clear: in this context, the word should be translated as "virgin" because all along, God intended for a virgin to give birth to the Savior.

The conception of Jesus was miraculous, but that was only the beginning. The reality was that this miraculous conception would result in nothing short of a miracle as God lived among the people. The child would be Immanuel, God with us.

In verses 24-25, we see that Joseph, true to his character, is completely obedient and faithful.

Faithful Fulfillment of Naming (24-25)

Joseph's obedience to take Mary as his wife and name the child Jesus fulfills the angel's message and God's plan.

I want us to see that the text suggests Joseph acted immediately. God had spoken, and so Joseph acted.

Matthew chapter one ends with the naming of Jesus.

Jewish law had this event taking place eight days after the birth. And so, from this point on, Joseph takes responsibility for his role in God's plan. He legally adopts God Himself as his own son and demonstrates ultimate faithfulness.

The family portrait

We have here a complete family portrait: Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. We know the rest of the story—the cross looms large on the horizon—but before we get there, take a moment and reflect on the family portrait. When Joseph and Mary were first engaged to be married, nobody imagined this ending, but their faithfulness to God has led to what most of us probably consider to be the most beautiful Christmas image: Mary, Joseph, and the Savior of the World.

So, what do we learn from this? I am convinced that something we need to walk away with is an understanding of authentic faith.

Authentic Faith — Faith confronts real problems by trusting God's perfect plan.

Faith isn't about ignoring life's difficulties but recognizing them and choosing to trust in God's perfect plan. Joseph's journey teaches us that true faith emerges when we face real problems with confidence in God's unfailing promises.

MTR: Determine not to let problems distract you from God's solution to the extraordinary problem of sin.

I don't want to underplay the feeling Joseph must have had when he first learned that Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. Even in our over-sexualized culture, such news would be devastating. However, I do want us to understand something: Joseph's problem, as significant as it was, paled in comparison with the overarching problem of the fall—the problem that God was solving.

Life is full of problems. I mean it—we live in a fallen world, and there are times when things are just hard. However, this does not mean that things are hopeless. We can take things to God, and God can work to solve our problems. But there are times when we fall into the trap of focusing so much on the problems of life that we miss God's work in solving the extraordinary problem of sin.

Joseph was obedient even when there was this looming problem in his life of perceived unfaithfulness by Mary. Joseph could have said a whole lot of "yeah, buts" to the angel, but instead, he recognized that this was nothing short of the God of the universe stepping into creation to solve the extraordinary problem of sin.

MTR: Take your problems to God in prayer, but make sure that you have taken the extraordinary problem of sin to God first.

We need to recognize that God is the one who solves our problems.

MTR: Praise God for solving the ultimate problem, sin.

Today, we are going to do this as we celebrate the Lord's Supper.

Lord's Supper 1 Corinthians 11:23-26