THE CHRISTMAS STORY: THE CHRISTMAS FAMILY
A. For the past three Sundays we have been looking at the central figures vital to the Christmas Story.
1. The Angel Gabriel informing Mary that she had been chosen by God to give BIRTH to His Son.
2. The chorus of ANGELS who sang the PRAISES of the New Born King as they announced His birth.
3. There were the SHEPHERDS who received a special INVITATION from God delivered by the
ANGELS to come SEE and WORSHIP the Christ Child just shortly after His birth.
4. There were the MAGI—the WISE MEN from the East who traveled for months following a STAR
that led them so they could WORSHIP the toddler and present Him with PRECIOUS GIFTS.
5. Today we’re going to take a closer look at the Christmas Family—Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.
B. Obviously, there can’t be a Christmas without this FAMILY.
1. After all, this holiday is named after Jesus—CHRISTmas.
2. Mary and Joseph went through a lot to bring the Son of God into the world.
a. They were both from the small town of Nazareth.
ILLUSTRATION:
Mary was a TEENAGER who was BETROTHED to Joseph, a hard-working carpenter. Under the Jewish customs, a BETROTHAL was as binding as the MARRIAGE itself. In fact, the woman is considered to be the WIFE of the man to whom she is BETROTHED. However, according to the Jewish Talmud, the man and woman were not allowed to LIVE TOGETHER and CONSUMMATE the marriage until after 12 months, and that was the case with Mary and Joseph.
b. Everything was going as planned until Mary is told by the Angel Gabriel that she will be giving BIRTH to God’s Son.
ILLUSTRATION:
This put everything in a TIZZY. Mary is a VIRGIN, but no one else BELIEVES that. Under Jewish Law Mary could be STONED to DEATH. Joseph doesn’t BELIEVE that Mary has been
FAITHFUL to him, so he plans to DIVORCE her privately to PROTECT her as much as possible.
But when an ANGEL appeared to Joseph ensuring him that Mary was a VIRGIN and that the CHILD she was carrying was God’s Son, he then took her into his HOME and they became husband and wife. However, he still had no physical relationship with her until after Jesus was born.
c. Here’s Joseph and Mary, NEWLYWEDS, a PREGNANT wife, getting to know each other better and SETTLING into their home in Nazareth, when a decree by Caesar Augustus, the EMPEROR
of Rome, forced everything to return to their ANCESTRAL town to be counted in a CENSUS.
ILLUSTRATION:
This meant that Joseph had to take his very PREGNANT wife and travel 80 long miles from
Nazareth to Bethlehem, because he was from the ANCESTRAL line of King David.
Now, we are not certain of what their mode of TRANSPORTATION was. Even though TRADITIONALLY we see Mary riding a DONKEY, Scripture doesn’t say how they got there. But whether it was by DONKEY, HORSE, CAMEL or a WAGON, the TRIP wasn’t easy for a
PREGNANT WOMAN to endure.
And to top it off, once they got to Bethlehem they couldn’t find a SUITABLE place for Mary to give BIRTH. So, this mother had to DELIVER her tiny BABY in a smelly BARN. What an unlikely place for the Son of God to be BORN. (Let’s take a closer look at each member of this family.)
MESSAGE:
I. MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS
A. The first recorded words of Mary were spoken at the feet of an angel- Luke 1:26-35 (READ)
1. As with every other girl she had known while growing up in Nazareth, Mary DREAMED of
getting MARRIED and having a BABY.
a. But the REALITY of this NIGHT had never been part of those FANTASIES.
ILLUSTRATION:
Out of the clear blue, an ANGEL appeared to this TEENAGE girl and told her that she had been CHOSEN to give BIRTH to God’s Son. This had to have been a very EMOTIONALLY
draining NINE MONTHS for Mary.
There were no BABY SHOWERS for her. There were no CELEBRATIONS of the impending BIRTH with FRIENDS and FAMILY. Undoubtedly there had been much WHISPERING, some condescending REMARKS, some SNICKERING by her so-called GIRLFRIENDS. There was also the FEAR that she could be STONED to DEATH for
committing ADULTERY while being BETROTHED to Joseph.
b. Even Joseph was ready to CALL off the WEDDING, until he was ASSURED by an ANGEL that Mary had not been UNFAITHFUL to him.
2. Imagine trying to EXPLAIN to your PARENTS, to your FIANCÉ, to your FRIENDS that even
though you are PREGNANT, you have NEVER been with a MAN.
COMMENT:
Then IMAGINE how everybody will REACT when you tell you them that the FATHER of the BABY you are CARRYING is God, Himself. Talk about BLASPHEMY—this TEENAGE GIRL had the AUDACITY of saying that she, from all the GIRLS of Judea, was CHOSEN by God to give BIRTH to His Son.
B. Regardless of what she may have to go through, Mary was WILLING to do it.
1. She tells the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant. …May it be as you have said”- v. 38.
a. This tells us a lot about this young teenage girl.
b. We see why the angel said, “You have found favor with God,” because she is FAITHFUL and OBEDIENT to her Lord despite any potentially negative CONSEQUENCE.
2. We see in Mary an UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER to the UNKNOWN FUTURE that God
had OUTLINED for her.
a. As I said in a previous sermon, she could have REFUSED—God would never FORCE anyone
to BEAR His Son.
b. But Mary was WILLING to do whatever God had PLANNED for her.
C. I am sure TRAVELING 80 miles to Bethlehem wasn’t easy on Mary, especially in her NINTH
MONTH of PREGNANCY.
1. No doubt a BARN was the LAST PLACE where she wanted to give BIRTH, but she had no other
choice—the BABY was COMING.
a. I’m sure that Joseph made her as COMFORTABLE as possible.
b. Now the LONG, TEDIOUS, and PAINFUL process of giving BIRTH made both Mary and Joseph EXHAUSTED even more. Yet, the EXCITEMENT of the moment kept them ALERT.
2. Imagine what it must have been like give BIRTH to the Messiah—the Son of God.
a. Mary looks into the FACE of her BABY. Her SON. Her LORD. Her SAVIOR.
b. She carefully WRAPS her newborn SON in cloths to keep Him warm and places Him in what was available to her—the MANGER—a feeding TROUGH streaked with animal SALIVA.
3. Although Mary didn’t really know what was in STORE for her BOY, she knew that He was SPECIAL—the Son of the Living God who would become the GREATEST GIFT to the WORLD.
II. JOSEPH, THE EARTHLY FATHER OF JESUS
A. Many churches throughout the country will often tell the story of Jesus’ birth through DRAMAS
and children’s PLAYS, reenacting those fateful events.
1. All the characters in the Christmas story will be assigned their specific SPEAKING PARTS as
recorded in Scripture except one—JOSEPH.
a. The ANGELS, SHEPHERDS, MARY, the MAGI, even the INN KEEPER; all have
memorable LINES that we can RECITE.
b. However, while reading through the GOSPELS we DISCOVER that they do not contain even a
SINGLE WORD uttered from the mouth of JOSEPH—Jesus’ EARTHY FATHER.
2. Yet Joseph is IRREPLACEABLE in the story of Jesus’ birth- Matthew 1:18-25 (READ)
B. We are introduced to Joseph in the middle of a PERSONAL CRISIS.
1. Having become BETROTHED to a beautiful young girl, he has worked hard as a CARPENTER to
Establish an INCOME to support his new BRIDE and begin a family.
a. He is in LOVE. He is COMMITTED to Mary.
b. He believed she loved him, until the NEWS that his precious BRIDE is PREGNANT.
2. Again, being BETROTHED in the first century is far different from being ENGAGED today.
COMMENT:
Today ENGAGEMENTS are made and called off, and it’s no big deal. But under the Mosaical Law, when you were PLEDGED to be MARRIED it was the same as being MARRIED, except for the physical CONSUMMATION of the MARRIAGE. That’s why Matthew refers to “Joseph as Mary’s husband” in v. 19. A written DECREE of DIVORCE was the only way that the MARRIAGE PLEDGE between a man and woman could be TERMINATED.
C. Matthew records that “when Joseph found out that Mary was having a baby, he, being a righteous
man decides to divorce her privately to spare her public disgrace”- v. 19.
1. When Joseph heard the news of Mary’s PREGNANCY, I’m sure he felt HEART-BROKEN and
BETRAYED.
COMMENT:
He was planning to spend the rest of his life with Mary, and now this! He is faced with a DILEMMA. Should he DIVORCE her PRIVATELY or should he go to the AUTHORITIES?
2. The word that is used for “RIGHTEOUS” refers to one with an uncompromising OBEDIENCE to
the Torah and the Law of Moses.
a. Joseph knew what the LAW said about a young lady being BETROTHED and then finding out that she WAS NOT a VIRGIN.
b. Deuteronomy 22:21- “She shall be brought to the door of her father's house, and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being
promiscuous while still in her father's house. You must purge this evil from among you.”
COMMENT:
The LAW was clear. Joseph’s reputation of being “RIGHTEOUS” was on the line. His “RIGHTEOUS PEERS” would tell him that this SIN must be PUBLICLY EXPOSED and PUNISHED.
3. But because of his LOVE for Mary this was something that Joseph could not bring himself to do, so he decides to “divorce Mary quietly to spare her public disgrace” or even possible death.
C. “But then an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him that the baby that Mary is carrying is indeed the Son of God, and he is to NAME Him Jesus because He will be the Savior of the World”- vv. 20-21.
1. I am sure that Mary had already told Joseph that, but IMAGINE how DIFFICULT it would be to
BELIEVE that your FIANCÉ is carrying God’s SON.
COMMENT:
In fact, if that word got out among the TOWN’S PEOPLE, such a STATEMENT would be considered BLASPHEMY. If Mary wasn’t STONED for her perceived PROMISCUITY, she most certainly would be EXECUTED for claiming that God was the FATHER of her UNBORN CHILD.
2. In his DREAM, God gave Joseph a GLIMPSE of the DIVINE PLAN.
COMMENT:
Because Joseph was a DESCENDANT of David and a RIGHTEOUS man, God gave him the unique job of RAISING the Messiah. God told Joseph, that Mary’s Son would, “save His
people from their sins!”
In fact, the name “JESUS” is a transliteration of the Hebrew word “YESHUA”, meaning “The Lord is Salvation” or “The Savior”!
III. JESUS, THE SON OF GOD
A. Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14- “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.”
1. This prophecy was fulfilled in the BIRTH of Jesus Christ some 700 years later.
a. Notice what Jesus would be called: “Immanuel—God with us.”
b. Jesus is God in the FLESH- John 1:1, 14 (READ and COMMENT)
COMMENT:
God, the CREATOR of this UNIVERSE, the One who gave us LIFE, came to this earth in the form of Jesus to LIVE among us. Imagine LEAVING the grandeurs of HEAVEN to move into a WORLD that He CREATED in order to become our SERVANT and our SACRIFICE.
2. God MOVED IN with us.
ILLUSTRATION:
Before becoming a MINISTER, my family and I attended a small CONGREGATION in Southwest Oklahoma. Every Christmas we would collect CANNED GOODS, CLOTHING, and TOYS to be DISTRIBUTED to NEEDY FAMILIES of some of the children we picked up on the
One FAMILY in particular was in dire NEED. Five CHILDREN were in that home. The oldest GIRL, an eighth grader, rode the CHURCH BUS with two of her sisters.
The HOUSE in which this FAMILY lived was literally a BOX—about a 20' x 20' BOX made of what look like PLYWOOD and covered with EXPOSED INSULATION and was connected by a smaller BOX. BLANKETS served as DIVIDERS for each room.
The FATHER, an ALCOHOLIC, not having a JOB spent most of his day LYING AROUND the house. The MOTHER worked at two JOBS—one during the DAY and the other at NIGHT—EARNING barely enough MONEY to FEED and CLOTHE her FAMILY after her HUSBAND bought his BOOZE.
A few days before Christmas, some of us CHURCH MEMBERS loaded the BUS with BOXES of FOOD, TOYS, and CLOTHING and began DISTRIBUTING them to several NEEDY families in the area. When we PULLED up to this family’s house, immediately the
OLDEST GIRL ran out to MEET us before we were able to get off the BUS.
“What are you doing here?” she asked rather RUDELY. We told her that we had come to bring them some FOOD and PRESENTS. Her ACTIONS and DEMEANOR signaled to us that she didn’t want us there. She said that her DAD was SICK. Before we could say another word the FATHER yelled for her to come back into the HOUSE. He wasn’t SICK, he was DRUNK!
After UNLOADING the BUS we cautiously made our way to the FRONT DOOR carrying the BOXES. When one of the CHILDREN opened the door, we saw the GIRL down on her
knees CLEANING UP where her FATHER had THROWN-UP.
The SOUR ODOR of LIQUOR and VOMIT filled the room. A baby in a dirty diaper sat among the FILTH that was evident everywhere. Obviously EMBARRASSED, the girl did not want us to see her FATHER and the HOUSE in that CONDITION. We set the BOXES down and POLITELY asked if there was anything else we could do. The girl said “No,” and then
THANKED us.
Upon LEAVING the house we quickly got back on the BUS and took a deep, cleansing breath of FRESH AIR. We then COMMENDED ourselves for being such GOOD Christians and
for the LOVING SACRIFICE we made by taking FOOD to that house.
COMMENT:
One couldn’t help but feel SORRY for the CHILDREN, because it was such a TERRIBLE PLACE in which to live. The FILTH! The STENCH! How could they stand LIVING like that?
But I wonder if it was anything like that when God LEFT Heaven and set-aside the GLORY of His DEITY to become FLESH, and then entered a WORLD that was CORRUPT and DECAYED by SIN? I wonder if His SPIRITUAL SENSITIVITIES were as OFFENDED as were my PHYSICAL SENSES when entering that HOUSE with its FILTH and STENCH and DRUNKENNESS?
But you see, I was in that house for no more than 5 minutes. And although my HEART went out to those CHILDREN, I had no INCLINATION to MOVE IN with them. I couldn’t have. But that’s exactly what Jesus did! He MOVED IN with us FILTH and ALL just so He could know what it’s like to WALK in our SHOES in order to be our MEDIATOR between us and the Father and become the PERFECT SACRIFICE for our SINS.
B. That’s the PURPOSE of Jesus coming to this EARTH is to SAVE us from our SINS.
1. Anna, the old widow Prophetess, told Mary as she and Joseph came to Jerusalem to dedicate Jesus to God the Father that “her precious baby boy had come to bring redemption to Jerusalem.”- Luke 2:36-38
2. Joseph is told by an angel that Jesus’ mission on earth is to “save His people from their sins!”
COMMENT:
What an HONOR to hear that your BOY is going to be a great SAVIOR of the PEOPLE. But I don’t believe that Mary or Joseph either one understood that the MEANS through which Jesus would bring REDEMPTION and SALVATION was through His DEATH on a CROSS.
3. That’s the REAL Christmas STORY.
a. Jesus told His followers, “The Son of Man came . . . to give His life a RANSOM for many”- Matthew 20:28b.
COMMENT:
Jesus knew that His COMING into this WORLD was for the express PURPOSE of DYING in our PLACE so that we can have ETERNAL LIFE.
God has done for us what we were UNABLE to do for ourselves. He PAID the PRICE for our SINS with the BLOOD of His only Son.
b. There will be NO gift UNDER your TREE on Christmas morning that will be able to TOP the GIFT that HUNG on the TREE for us.
CONCLUSION:
HOW DOES THE CHRISTMAS STORY IMPACT YOUR LIFE?
