We all have heard many sermons on Christmas that dealt with:
• THE VIRGIN
• THE ANGELS
• THE SHEPHERDS
• THE INNKEEPERS
• THE WISE MEN
But there is one individual that is overlooked many times. WHO IS THAT? I am talking about Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus Christ.
• It was indeed a SPECIAL HONOR for Mary, of all the women who lived on the earth, to be chosen by God to give birth to His Son.
• But also, it was a SPECIAL HONOR for Joseph, of all the men living on the earth, to be selected by God to be His Son’s earthly father.
Mary and Joseph are probably the two most privileged people that have ever lived on earth.
Illus: The one who comes nearest to being the most fortunate to these two to live on earth, is probably former President of the United States, Gerald Ford.
WHY DO I SAY THAT?
Because he held two of the highest offices in America, President and Vice-president of the United States, and had never had one vote cast at the polls by the American People for him.
• When Vice-president Spiro Agnew had to step down due to corruption in the state of Maryland, Ford was appointed Vice-President of the United States.
• When President Richard Nixon had to step down due to corruption in Watergate, Ford became President of this great nation.
He indeed was one of the most fortunate men in this great country in which we live.
But Mary and Joseph have to go down in history as the two most fortunate people who ever lived on this earth. They were selected by God to be the earthly parents of Christ while He was here on earth. But while we recognize that honor for Mary we often overlook this honor for Joseph.
Both were probably chosen for this special honor because of the wonderful qualities God saw in them. In this sermon, we want to focus on Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, and look at some of those qualities that God saw in his life. First we see that -
I. HE WAS A SPIRTUAL MAN
Look at Matt. 1:19, we read, “Then Joseph her husband, BEING A JUST MAN, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.”
Notice, the Bible says Joseph was a “just man”. When God’s Word says a man is “just”, you can mark it down, He is a JUST MAN!
Illus: We have all attended funeral services where some preacher got up and said wonderful things about the deceased, and we could not help but wonder if he was talking about the person we knew. Why? Because all the nice things he said about this individual did not match up with the life he lived.
But when God said Joseph was a “Just” man, He meant exactly that. The word “Just” is the Greek word, dikaios, (Pronounced as dik'-ah-yos) which means his character reflected he was fair in all his deeds.
In other words, the earthly father of Jesus, who God had selected to raise His son, was always fair in his dealings with others.
The Bible describes the Lord as “just”. The Bible describes Him as the Savior who went about doing good. Look at Acts 10: 38 we read, “Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
That means that in His entire life He never did ANY EVIL to anyone.
• He never told a lie about anyone
• He never tried to hurt anyone
• He never thought evil of anyone
• He never cheated anyone
• He never lusted for the opposite sex
His entire life, He went about doing good.
The reason He was this way was because He is the holy Son of God. That is, HE IS INTRINSICALLY GOOD.
• He did not have to work at being good, HE WAS GOOD!
• He did not have to become holy, HE WAS HOLY!
• He was not 95% good and 5% bad, He was a 100% good.
He could have had an earthly father that lived an unjust life, and still he would have lived this kind of LIFE BECAUSE IN HIM DWELT THE FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY! He was the LAMB OF GOD WITHOUT BLEMISH.
But how wonderful it was, that when He was growing up He had a father the Bible says was a “Just man”.
II. HE WAS A SENSITIVE MAN
When we say he was a SENSITIVE MAN, we are saying he thought of others before he thought of himself. In the life of Joseph, we see that he is SENSITVE IN TWO WAYS. He is -
A. SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS
We can see that he is sensitive to the needs of others in two ways.
(1) HE WAS SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF MARY
His heart was crushed when Mary told Him she was with Child. He was a man, and he knew she did not get that way drinking water. He could only conclude that she had been unfaithful to him, because he knew that he did not have that kind of relationship with her. But regardless how crushed he was, he did not want to make Mary a TARGET OF DISGRACE.
If he had been like some men, he would have rented billboards to place ads about what he thought she had done.
But this SENSITIVE man was mindful of her feelings. HE WAS A SENSITIVE MAN, and he was trying to work out a difficult situation as SENSITIVELY AS HE KNEW HOW.
Look again at Matthew 1:19, we read, “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and NOT WILLING TO MAKE HER A PUBLIC EXAMPLE, was minded to put her away privily.”
At this point:
• He thinks she has been unfaithful to him
• He did not want to marry her, thinking she had been unfaithful
• He did not want to be vindictive
HE WAS SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF MARY. But also-
(2) HE WAS SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF BABY JESUS
Once God revealed to him that Mary was a virgin as she had claimed, and he saw the danger she and the Christ child faced, he laid aside all of his plans, to take his family to a place of safety.
The world in which we live needs some dads that are sensitive to the needs of their family. That is, they are willing to sacrifice some things in this life for their family.
Illus: Dr. Ron LaFlam tells about bringing some food to a family in need. As he walked into the house, he saw the dad sitting across the room in a recliner, smoking a cigarette, drinking a beer, and watching cable television. Dr. LaFlam said that when he saw this, he got upset. Here was a dad whose family was going lacking, and he was puffing on cigarettes, drinking beer, and watching cable television. He was not willing to sacrifice for his family, not even these things.
But Joseph was one of the dads that was sensitive to the needs of his family, and he was willing to do whatever he had to do to provide for them and protect them.
The Bible says, in Matthew 2:21, “And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.”
Now we begin to see why God chose a man like Joseph to be the earthly father of His Son, Jesus.
We live in a world today that is filled with people who are not SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS. It seems all they can think about is WHAT THEY WANT, and they do not care how it might hurt their families. People like this live their life each day to fulfill their SELFISH PLANS for their life, not even willing to sacrifice for their own family. And they wonder why life for them is so empty.
Listen, we can not build a life of happiness on the misery of OTHERS. For example:
• How would you like someone to mistreat you because of the color of your skin? Suppose you belonged to a different race, how would you like people to treat you?
• How would you like it if a thief stole something from you and then went down the street and sold it to one of your neighbors? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU WERE THE ONE THEY STOLE FROM?
We need more dads like Joseph, WHO WAS SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS. But also notice-
B. HE WAS SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF GOD
Three times we are told that God spoke to Joseph in a dream.
• Look at Matthew 1:20-23, we read, “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
• Look at Matthew 2:13, we read, “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
• Look at Matthew 2:19, we read, “But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,”
God spoke to Joseph, and look how SENSITIVE he was to the Word of God. Once God revealed to him in a dream that Mary was truly a virgin, and told him to take Mary to be his wife, notice how he responded.
Look at Matthew 2:21, we read, “And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.”
Thank the Lord for men like Joseph, who are SENSITIVE TO THE WORD OF GOD.
God still speaks to dads through His Word, to protect their families from evil by bringing them to the house of God, where they can be exposed to GOD’S PEOPLE and GOD’S WORD. And they rise up and take them!
These dads are SENSITIVE to the leading of God’s Word, and they, like Joseph, obey God.
Illus: Joseph could have said, “I know what God’s plan for my life is, but I have different plans, and they do not include the things God would have me do with my life. “
But a SPIRITUAL MAN is a SENSITIVE man. He recognized there are some things in this life that are more important than his SELFISH DESIRES.
• He recognized God placed him here on earth, and God had every right to tell him how he was to live his life.
• He recognized that there is going to be a judgment, and he is going to have to stand before almighty God and give account of his life.
He is SENSITIVE to the needs of GOD AND OTHERS.
When God revealed to Joseph what He would have him do, the Bible says, “And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.”
GOD SPOKE and HE OBEYED! He was a SPIRITUAL MAN, A SENSITIVE MAN, and -
III. HE WAS A STRONG MAN
The Bible makes it amply clear that he was a STRONG MAN SPIRITUALLY. He might have been a runt and not weigh ninety pounds physically, but he was a STRONG MAN SPIRITUALLY.
Look at Matthew 1:24-25, we read, “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: AND KNEW HER NOT TILL SHE HAD BROUGHT FORTH HER FIRSTBORN SON: AND HE CALLED HIS NAME JESUS.”
The Catholic church has always tried to make Mary into something the Bible never made her. For example, she is not the QUEEN OF HEAVEN as they say she is.
It is interesting to note that the “queen of heaven” is mentioned in scripture.
Jer. 7:18 “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the QUEEN OF HEAVEN, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.”
Notice, in Barnes’ Notes we find out who the “queen of heaven” was.
“To the queen of heaven A Persian and Assyrian deity, who was supposed to symbolize a quality possessed by moonlight of giving to nature its receptive power, as the sun represented its quickening power. The moon thus became generally the symbol of female productiveness, and was worshipped as such at Babylon. Disgraceful usages to which every woman was obliged once to submit formed part of her worship.”
The queen of heaven was a pagan goddess, and the worship of this goddess provoked God to anger! Mary is NOT the queen of heaven, but she was a woman chosen by God for a very special assignment in life.
Notice, Mary was there at the death of Christ. Joseph is believed to have died before Christ was crucified, because he was not with Mary at the crucifixion. And had he been living, he would have been at the scene of the cross also.
But the Catholics have always tried to make Mary to be more than what the Bible teaches she is. For example, some came to Jesus one day and said that His Mother and family would like to see Him.
But notice how he equates others to be as important to Him as she was. Look at Matthew 12:48-50 “But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Listen, a woman doing the will of God today, is just as important to God as Mary was. SHE HAD NO SPECIAL FAVORS WITH HIM.
The Lord made it clear before He died, that all human ties between Him and Mary were broken.
Look at John 19:25-27, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
Notice, when he looked from the cross and saw Mary, no doubt weeping, he did not address her as “Mother” but as “Woman”.
This was a respectful term, but He did not address her as Mother. WHY DID HE ADDRESS HER THIS WAY? He was cutting all the earthly ties with her as Mother and Son. She needed to look to Him for salvation like every other sinner.
But notice when He does use the term mother. Mary had been a good mother to Him, and He wanted to make provision for her. He saw John standing by, “Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother!”
This time he referred to her as “Mother,” because what He was doing was giving her to John to take care of in the days to come. She was His earthly Mother, chosen by God to give Him birth, but that is all.
This was the SPECIAL PRIVILEGE GIVEN TO HER, BUT THIS IS WHERE THE SPECIAL PRIVILEGE CEASED!
Mary and Joseph were two special human beings chosen by God to become SPECIAL PARENTS. But we must never forget they were mortals just like us! Mary was an ordinary woman and Joseph was an ordinary man.
But Joseph was a STRONG SPIRITUAL MAN. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT? The strongest desire in man is his SEX DRIVE.
God had a purpose in making man like this.
• Women are stirred by the touch
• Men are stirred by sight
If you did not have these two combinations, you would not have many marriages. All you would have is men and women living on the earth wondering why God made the opposite sex.
But when men see a woman they are attracted to, if they are normal, they have a sex drive that kicks into gear. Now there are some men that seem to never take it out of gear, but for the most part, men are not this way.
When Joseph met Mary, the wedding bells starting ringing. He was excited that one day very soon he was going to marry that young beautiful girl that shot his blood pressure sky high!
But then, one day she said, “Joseph, I have some good news and some bad news.” Joseph was on cloud nine most likely and he said, “Ok, Mary tell me whatever you want to tell me, I can handle it!” She told him, but he could not handle it.
The Lord had to appear to him three times in a dream, saying that the child conceived in her was conceived by the Holy Ghost. She was a virgin, giving birth to the Son of God.
But notice this STRONG SPIRITUAL MAN, even though he looked forward to being intimate with her, controlled himself, “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”
This STRONG SPIRITUAL MAN was able to harness this strong sex drive the same way a strong spiritual man today can harness his sex drive.
Conclusion: As we look at the life of Joseph, we can see why God selected him to be the earthly father of Jesus. He is a role model for every dad here.
I. HE WAS A SPIRITUAL MAN
II. HE WAS A SENSITIVE MAN
III. HE WAS A STRONG MAN
