Advent 2019 – One Plan, Two Purposes
Please stand as we read our newest memory Scripture together …
Jude 1:24-25
“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy –
“To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
And our memory refresher verse(s) for today is(are) …
1 Timothy 6:6
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Please open your Bibles to Luke 2:1-7
Aren’t you glad that the Lord chose someone like Luke to investigate and “write an orderly account … so that [we] may know the certainty of the things [we] have been taught ….” Luke 1:3-4
First, let’s lay some groundwork. What are the things we should know for certain that come from the Bible?
(Explain each of these in more depth)
- We were created by God in His image
- We rebelled against Him
- In this rebellion we left Him behind
- God made a plan to get us back when we were unredeemable
- Jesus is that plan
Now, when it comes to Jesus being the plan of getting us back to God we obviously should want to know everything we could possibly know about this plan.
With that in mind let’s go ahead and read Luke 2:1-7
(Prayer for help)
One thing I love about the Gospels is that they are told from different perspectives.
Mark does not contain any information about the incarnation event at all.
John only briefly mentions that “the Word” who “was God” “became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” John 1:1 and John 1:14.
Matthew tells us about Joseph and Mary’s interactions with the angel during their betrothal period in Nazareth and then jumps to the visit of the Magi in Bethlehem sometime after Jesus is born. He never tells how they got there or why.
Luke, however, gives a much more detailed account of Mary’s interaction with Gabriel and her trip to see Elizabeth but he says nothing about the situation with Joseph.
Luke then describes Jesus being taken to the temple on the eighth day to fulfill the requirements of the law and jumps from there immediately to Jesus visit to the temple at the age of twelve.
But Matthew recounts Joseph taking Jesus and Mary to Egypt for their protection from Herod.
When you put these two accounts together it paints a fascinating picture of Jesus’ arrival here on earth, doesn’t it?
So, let’s take a look at a couple of elements of Joseph Mary’s trip to Bethlehem.
The distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 80 miles and Mary was nearly full term in her pregnancy.
One commentator was saying that the trip would take 4-5 days if they were walking or 8-10 days if Mary rode a donkey. The reason it would take longer on a donkey is that a donkey walks as fast as a donkey wants to walk. When you lead a donkey it is more like you are pretending to lead the donkey when in reality you are just holding a rope and moving as fast as the donkey wants to move. And, when the donkey is done moving, he is done moving …
So, why were they going to Bethlehem? They were going to Bethlehem to register for the census that had been ordered by Caesar Augustus. If the Caesar says, “Go to your hometown to be registered” you go to your hometown to be registered. That, pure and simple, is why they hit the road to go from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
But God the father knew that they were really going to Jerusalem in order to fulfill a prophecy that had been written by Micah nearly 800 years before Jesus’ birth.
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me One who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
You, see, Joseph had a plan and a purpose; the plan was to go to Bethlehem and the purpose was to register for a census.
God had a plan and a purpose.
- God’s plan was to raise up a dictator in a civilization called the Roman empire who would order a census in such a way that Joseph and Mary would have to go to Bethlehem.
- God’s purpose was to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
- God’s further purpose was to put Micah 5:2 and Luke chapter 2 in place 800 years apart so that we could believe that Jesus IS the Messiah!
You see …
- God and Joseph had the same plan; go to Bethlehem
- Joseph was totally clueless as to why God had put the plan into motion
o He wasn’t thinking, “Let’s go to Bethlehem to fulfill Micah’s prophecy!
- We are NOT always aware of what God is doing in the background!
Isaiah 55:8-9
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,”
declares (Yahweh) the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Do you ever wonder if Joseph figured out that God had an alternative purpose for the trip to Bethlehem?
Do you think Joseph ever figured out that the trip was for more than just registering for a census?
He should have gotten a clue when Simeon came up to them in the Temple and said, “Sovereign LORD, as You have promised, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your Salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Luke 2:29-32
OK. So both the LORD and Joseph had a plan for them to go to Bethlehem.
And, so they went.
What was the trip like?
We often think of Joseph and Mary out on a lonely desert road with no one in sight. But, imagine this?
Imagine, right now, in our lifetime, that there are no cars of any sort; perhaps an occasional donkey and a few ox carts around.
Now, imagine that everyone in this area were born in cities with hospitals:
- Bertrand Chafee Hospital – Springville
- Cuba Memorial Hospital – Cuba
- Mercy Hospital – Buffalo
- Olean General Hospital – Olean
- Wyoming County Community Hospital – Warsaw
- United Memorial Medical Center – Batavia
- Tri-County Memorial Hospital – Gowanda
OK. Now, just imagine that everyone in this area of NY needed to go to the hospital where they were born to register. There would be people from this town walking to every one of these hospitals, and, there would be people from every other town walking to every one of these hospitals and the routes would be like a spider web crisscrossing all over the place.
You would be walking with people and people would be waking in the opposite direction from you. Some that you had walked with for miles would turn off and you would go on. Others would come from another direction and join into the line of people traveling in your direction.
It must have been something like that when Joseph and Mary were headed to Bethlehem. People from all over Galilee and Judea were traveling to different ancesetral towns; Bethlehem wasn’t the only one!
So, what on earth does all of that mean to us?
God had a plan for Joseph and Mary and that plan was for them to go to Bethlehem.
God has a plan for you.
Have you ever had a change of plans forced on you?
I remember working in a forging works at the age of 24. I only worked there a few months when layoff’s came. Since I was one of the last ones hired I was one of the first ones to be let go. Change of plans …
Soon I was working in another factory in the quality control department.
Was that God’s plan for me? I believe it was because a series of events took place during the interview that allowed me to get a technical job for which I was untrained.
What was my plan?
To make a living especially with our firstborn on the way.
What was God’s plan? His plan was for me to be His witness in a wire and sheet metal forming factory.
Was I good a my plan? Yes, I received regular promotions.
Was I good at God’s plan for me? Probably not particularly; I was head strong and spiritually immature even though I was raised by a godly mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
A change in jobs is always a major change, especially when it is unplanned and out of your control, but, even then can God be at work with a plan of His own?
What about little plans?
What about when you make a plan to go to the eye doctors and you’re sitting in the waiting room for an hour before you are taken into the office?
Is that the only plan that is going on?
What if God has a plan as well?
What if there is someone there who needs encouragement?
Are we even aware that such a thing could be a possibility?
Karenlee and I usually go to the same eye doctor’s office and there is always a LOOOOOOOONG wait!
At that office we speak to the person behind the reception desk and the doctor, of course, but, what about the many of people filling the waiting room?
Does the receptionist need encouragement? Is that God’s purpose for this trip?
Does the doctor need to hear a complaint about the wait? Is that God’s purpose for this trip? Probably not!
What about the person in the next chair to you in the waiting room or in the seat across from you?
Are your spiritual receptors on? Are you asking the Lord, “What is YOUR purpose for me being here?”
What about your job or the neighborhood where you live or the apartment complex where you live? Your plan and your purpose is to live there.
What is God’s purpose for you there?
Is His purpose for you to be a recluse and shut yourself off from others?
When you are at work or in your neighborhood or in your apartment complex are your spiritual receptors on?
Are you asking the Lord, “What is YOUR purpose for me being here?
- Is there something I can accomplish for you today?
- Is there a friendship I can build that will lead to the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with someone soon?
- Is there someone who I can help for the sake of Jesus today?
Ephesians 5:15-16 NLT
“Be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.”
When that Bible verse says, “Make the most of every opportunity” it is not talking about your plan and purpose, it is talking about God’s plan and purpose.”
I am glad that Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem and were able to register for the census but I am more glad that the purpose of God was accomplished by fulfilling a prophecy.
What about you? Are you more interested in fulfilling your purpose for your life or are you more interested in fulfilling God’s purpose for your life?
God’s purpose for Jesus being born in Bethlehem was fulfilled through Joseph and Mary.
God’s purpose will always be fulfilled through His obedient servants; that’s you and me if we are available.
Final comments and prayer
