Holy Days, Holy People
Joseph: Do your actions speak as loud as your words?
-Have you ever thought much about the Nativity scene? Most of you own one or have seen one before.
-Everyone knows about Mary, and baby Jesus, and the angel Gabriel. We know a lot about the Wise Men from a distant land.
-We know about the Shepherds, and we even know about the cattle…the cattle were “lowing”. But what about Joseph.
-Standing in the background watching over the manger.
-Today we’re talking about a mysterious Xmas character:
JOSEPH.
-Most of us would consider Joseph to be a key player in the Bible, but we know very little about him.
-He was a carpenter. (Mt 13:55)
-He was a skilled laborer, a craftsman, probably physical & strong.
-From his genealogy in Matt 1 we see Joseph was….
-A descendant of King David. (Mt 1:6, Is 11:1)
-That was an important detail because Isaiah 11:1 predicted the Messiah would come from the line of David.
-In fact, Mary and Joseph were both descendants of David.
-When they dedicated baby Jesus they offered two doves at the temple. This gives us an important detail about Joseph:
-He was poor. (Lk 2:24, Lev 12:8)
-When you had a baby the required offering was a lamb, but the poor were allowed to bring a pair of doves or pigeons.
-Perhaps the most startling fact about Joseph is that he is the only character in the Christmas story who didn’t speak.
-Nothing Joseph said was recorded.
-He had no lines in the Xmas play! He’s kind of an extra.
-His words to the angel Gabriel weren’t recorded.
-His words to Mary weren’t recorded.
-Nothing he said to Jesus was recorded for us to read.
-And yet Joseph has been revered through the ages as a Bible hero and a man of great faith. Why?
-Because what he did, not what he said, reveals everything we need to know about him.
Matthew 1:18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph.
-Joseph was godly in his engagement. (Mt 1:18a)
-Joseph had probably been waiting to marry Mary for a long time.
-He did what God-fearing Jewish men were supposed to do.
-Their marriage would have been arranged while they were young
-In Mary’s day a girl’s marriage was often arranged at age 2.
-Can you imagine? What do you think of this one son? Well she’s drools, and throws temper tantrums and isn’t really potty trained!
-But then again I’m only six, and I still sleep with the light on.
-The marriages were arranged very young but the official engagement would occur around 12 years old and the wedding could happen as early as 6 months after the engagement.
-The men were usually engaged at 16 years old so it’s very feasible that Joseph was a young man as well.
-It’s hard for us to accept this practice but it was a different time, & a different culture. Lifespans were short, people grew up quick
-While we wait to fall in love with someone before we get married, they got married and then decided to love each other.
-And divorce was practically non-existent: Go figure!
-Now this is where the plot takes a twist.
18b But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
-So Joseph is engaged to Mary and she turns up pregnant.
-An engagement in our culture is not as big a deal as it was then.
-Often times, being engaged in America, just means that sometime in the next couple years you might get married.
-And if for some reason you decide that you want out of it you text your girlfriend, take the ring back to Fred Meyer’s, unfriend her on Facebook, and start dating someone else 2 weeks later.
-But in the day of Joseph and Mary an engagement was a legally binding agreement that you signed with witnesses present.
-They took the engagement to be married as seriously as they took the marriage itself.
-So Mary and Joseph were pledged in marriage but Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
-There is only one foolproof way for Joseph to know the baby wasn’t his; they hadn’t had been sexually active.
-Sex has always been reserved 4 marriage…that is God’s standard
-And that was Joseph’s standard because he was a righteous man.
-Imagine the thoughts that could have entered his mind.
-Anger. Outrage. Humiliation. Disgust. Heartache. Revenge.
19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
-He didn’t believe Mary’s story that the “Holy Spirit made me pregnant” story.
-But verse 19 gives us a glimpse into the heart of the man who raised Jesus like his own son.
-The Bible says that he was a “good man” or some Bibles say righteous… He didn’t want to expose Mary to public disgrace.
-Joseph was righteous in handling Mary’s alleged infidelity. (vs 19)
-If your fiancée came up pregnant, would you be worried about her reputation? Would you be worried about protecting her?
-Jewish men had the right to shame an unfaithful woman, and they could even demand her death. But not Joseph.
-As a righteous man he wasn’t looking to punish Mary.
-As a righteous man he wasn’t looking to hurt someone even though they had hurt him.
-As a righteous man he was actually looking out for the person that had hurt him.
-Maybe you have had moments like that.
-Maybe someone hurt you and you let it slide.
-Maybe someone wronged you and you gave them grace.
-We all have moments when maintain a Christ-like composure.
-But can you do it in the worst of circumstances?
-Joseph was planning a life with this young woman. He was working, saving, securing a place to live, planning for a family.
-And for all he knew it was over. But he did the right thing.
-Can you be faithful and godly when emotions are flaring, blood pressure is rising, and there’s hurt in your heart? Joseph did.
-When your spouse, or your kids, or your church lets you down, are you faithful?
-When you are hurt and you want to retaliate, what do you do?
-The only logical explanation of Mary’s pregnancy was that Mary had been unfaithful. But instead of shaming and humiliating her…
-Joseph decided to protect Mary’s reputation by divorcing quietly.
-The Jewish people took engagement so seriously, that you had to actually go through a divorce proceeding.
-Calling off a marriage because of infidelity was expected, appropriate
-The marital contract allowed for divorce, the culture expected it, and even the Scripture made provisions for it.
-Infidelity broke the engagement contract. It was the logical thing for Joseph to do. But look at verse 20:
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
-Have you ever had this happen? Plans are made; all figured out.
-You’ve determined the appropriate course of action for a situation but God had different plans?
-Joseph had made his decision, he was calling off the wedding and suddenly an angel shows up and says, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. Her baby is from the Holy Spirit.”
-God informed Joseph what the real plan was, told him what he needed to do, and guess what Joseph did?
Joseph was obedient to God’s instructions. (vs 20-24)
-One author says, “You can imagine how great Joseph’s feelings of amazement, relief, and gratitude must have been once he realized what the Lord…had told him. Not only could he go ahead and gladly take Mary as his wife with honor and righteousness, but also he could rejoice at the privilege of being allowed to bring up God’s own Son.” (J MacArthur, pg 12)
-Something you may have never really thought about is that Joseph was the stepfather of Jesus. He wasn’t his real dad.
-And if you think about it, that could bring up several interesting issues. For all you Dave Letterman fans I’ve came up with a:
Top 10 Issues with Being Jesus’ Stepdad
10. Mary still has close daily contact with Jesus’ real dad.
9. Jesus is always comparing me to his “heavenly” father.
8. Every time you take Jesus fishing he’s always leaving the boat to walk on water.
7. It’s annoying to have to ask your step son for forgiveness.
6. That Jesus kid is a real know-it-all.
5. Twice we’ve caught him trying to ascend him into heaven.
4. When he wants seconds at dinner he just multiplies what’s on the plate.
3. Whenever I have tough decision to make my wife Mary always says, “What Would Jesus Do?”
2. Every time we turn around Jesus is down on the corner with the prostitutes and tax collectors.
-And the number 1 issue with being Jesus’ stepdad is…
1. That Jehovah guy is a real Disneyland dad.
-Imagine trying to be the Father figure for God’s son? Wow!
-That was the message of the angel that day.
-The most significant thing in this dream is not the marriage but the details concerning Jesus.
-Then angel provided Joseph with four important details:
1. You will have a son.
2. He is from the Holy Spirit
3. His name is Jesus
4. He will be the Savior of his people
-These are same four facts were also given to Mary
-So Joseph’s dream confirmed all of the things that Mary had been told by the angel.
25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
-As soon as Joseph woke up he did what the he had been commanded to do. He got up after receiving a word from the Lord and obeyed. He followed his instructions.
-He carried out his orders. He called God his Lord, and did what he his Lord said to do.
-Why is that so impressive? Look around our world today.
-Look at all the people who call Jesus Lord and then do whatever they want to without any concern for what he said.
-Look at all the people who talk about being faithful but aren’t.
-Joseph was a man who quietly and steadily did what he was supposed to do. He didn’t talk about it, he did it.
-Every time Joseph is mentioned in Scripture he was being obedient:
-Jewish boys were circumcised at eight days old and Joseph had Jesus at the temple on the 8th day.. (Lk 2:21)
-After 40 days Jewish boys were presented at the temple and Joseph had Jesus there on day 40. (Lk 2:22)
-When God said go to Egypt, Joseph moved his family to Egypt.
-Jesus spent some of his childhood in Egypt. (Mt 2:13)
-When God said leave Egypt and return to Nazareth, Joseph packed up the family donkey & was on the way. (Mt 2:19; Lk 2:39)
-Jewish boys had to be present at the Passover at age 12 and Joseph was first in line with his step son Jesus. (Lk 2:41)
-We don’t know anything that Joseph said, but what he did tells us everything we need to know.
-Joseph was a faithful man. In trials, in blessings he was faithful.
-Faithful to God, faithful to the Scripture, faithful to his family,
-When God was looking for a step father for boy Jesus, he didn’t choose a teacher of the law lectured on faithfulness.
-He didn’t choose someone who bragged about their faithfulness.
-He didn’t pick a rich guy w/money, or a religious guy w/flowing robes and a big Bible.
-When God was looking for a step father for Jesus he chose a man who quietly, consistently, followed the Lord his God.
-Do your actions speak as loud as your words?
-If you are a Christian it’s likely that you made a confession at some point. You said I need Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
-That’s great, it’s essential, it’s necessary.
-But faith isn’t some conclusion that you reach in your mind.
-Being faithful is a way of life.
-It’s following Jesus wherever that may lead.
-It’s obeying no matter what the cost.
-It’s doing right things when others aren’t doing right things.
-It’s doing hard things at times and uncomfortable things at times with no other reason than “the Lord says so”
-It’s day after day, walking with the Lord your God.
-It’s putting failures quickly behind you. It’s refusing to be derailed. It’s not making excuses for what you didn’t do.
-And taking the initiative for what you can do.
-Joseph embodies a theme in Scripture that faith is an action.
-James 1:22, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.”
-Joseph got a word from the Lord and did it. Sounds simple. It is.
-So many Christians are looking for some new teaching, some cool Bible study, some exciting book that will change their life.
-But faithful isn’t a classroom experience. It isn’t academic.
-Most of us already know more than we are doing!
-What marks people of faith is their action, not their study.
-So Jesus’ stepbrother James wrote: “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.”
-Jesus himself once said: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46)
-Why do you call yourself a follower of Jesus and not follow?
-Hey, that’s a pretty good question. Well, it was Jesus.
-Everyone likes baby Jesus in the manger. It’s cute. It’s a great story. It’s a message of hope.
-But not so many people like the message that Jesus is Lord.
-That has implications. That means the Jesus has a lease on our time, our activities, our money…he is our Lord.
-The authority in our life. And that’s exactly how Joseph acted…like a man under authority.
-John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.
-Joseph love God, and his son Jesus, and he obeyed.
-Is there a special reward in heaven for being the man who raised Jesus? I’d like to think so but I can’t say.
-Was his life easy…doesn’t read that way to me.
-Was he respected and admired by other people in his lifetime…doesn’t seem so.
-Was he blessed with a really long life…apparently not.
-Did God at least send child support checks so he could be a stay-at-home step dad? Nope.
-He faced persecution, humiliation, hardship and probably died having missed the day that his stepson Jesus became the Savior of the World.
-But when the record was written Joseph was remembered as a faithful man. That’s how Joseph was remembered.
-How will you be remembered when you’re gone?
-What will the record reveal about the way you lived your life?
-No one wants to be remembered as the one who always folded under pressure.
-No one wants to be remembered as the one who would never follow through.
-No one wants to be remembered as the person who always quit when things got tough, who never followed God’s instructions, and who never willed themselves to do something difficult.
-We all want to be remembered as faithful husbands and wives,
-Faithful parents, and employees, and employers.
-But most importantly we want to be remembered as faithful Christians. Not for what we said, but for what we did.
-But only one person can determine whether or not that’s true.
-You. Only you can determine whether or not you will be a faithful person.
