The Best and Worst Day
Matthew 1:18-25
Preached at Laurel Church of Christ
On Sunday, December 8, 2002
Introduction:
I. Robert Beringer writes about a geography lesson from elementary school
A. He learned that the southern most tip of Africa is a point, which for centuries has experienced tremendous storms.
1. For many years no one even knew what lay beyond that cape, for no ship attempting to round that point had ever returned to tell the tale.
2. Among the ancients it was known as the "Cape of Storms," and for good reason.
3. But then a Portuguese explorer in the sicteenth century, Vasco De Gama, successfully sailed around that very point and found beyond the wild raging sotrms, a great calm sea, and beyond that, the shores of India.
4. The name of that cape was changed from the Cape of Storms to the Cape of Good Hope.
B. Until the Messiah had come, died and rose from the grave, death had been the Cape of Storms on which all hopes of life beyond had been wrecked.
1. No one knew what lay beyond that point until, on that fateful morning that Jesus rose from the grave
2. Jesus became victor over Satan.
3. Suddenly, like those ancient explorers, we can see beyond human death to the hope of heaven and eternal life with the Father.
II. Considering the significance of Jesus life, I believe it is pertinent to view the life of Jesus consistently.
A. The Holiday season is here.
1. Whether we recognize this time as celebration of Jesus birth or a celebration of giving, both bring us to a study of the life of Christ
2. It is because of Jesus’ life that we now know how to live, and that we live.
B. Today we begin a series of the utmost importance for the Christian
1. We begin a reminder of the important events of Jesus life
2. Even Jesus said that some things are more important than others.
3. We will briefly touch the surface of the major events of Jesus life over the next four weeks.
4. Beginning today with the account of Jesus Christ’s Birth from the gospel of Matthew.
C. There are two defining moments in someones life that seemingly far outweigh the rest.
1. Those are a persons birth and death.
2. For Jesus included these plus his life, and resurrection.
3. Today we will begin with the subject of his birth, but instead of me tell you the whole sermon how amazing it is to have God with us.
4. We will put the focus on where Matthew placed it.
5. On Joseph.
Body:
I. The Wedding Planning
A. Most of us have been through a wedding in our lifetime personally.
1. I apologize for using my wedding as an example, but at the moment this is all I have to draw from.
2. The planning of the wedding can be just as intense as the wedding itself.
a. Men, to a woman the day she is to be married; she has dreamed about her entire life.
b. It is a day that she will wed the person she loves and dedicate her life to this man.
c. So it only stands to reason that they dream of the perfect wedding.
3. Ours was of course no different, Becca had this day planned from ten years earlier.
a. The footage
b. Becca could pull movies down from the shelf and place them in the VCR to play.
c. She would then insue in multiple different settings.
1.) The dress
2.) The flowers
3.) The tux
4.) The words
d. Then there were the photo albums
e. Then the memories
f. Then there was figuring out how all of this was going to manage to fit in a reasonable budget.
4. For women the wedding planning is the best time of their lives, for men it is gruelling
B. In the Jewish setting of the first century, the process of marriage was very intricate indeed.
1. The courting process alone was complicated.
a. The young man and woman did not decide on who they would wed
b. The betrothal period
1.) Young couple agrees
2.) A legal document is signed
3.) By Jewish law they are considered "husband and wife"
c. The marriage ceremony
2. We know that at least sometimes the festivities following the wedding would include the entire town.
C. Going through a wedding of my own, I am sure they too were getting ready for the wedding.
1. You know Mary is rushing from here to there back to here
2. She keeps asking Joseph what do you think about this and this and this.
3. I don’t know how exactly she broke the news to him, but it might have happened something like this.
II. The Shocking News (Matthew 1:18)
A. At some poing in all of the wedding arrangements she must have done a, "I’m so excited about this, and what with Rachel coming for the wedding, and Martha, and Elizabeth.
1. Did I tell you that Elizabeth was pregnant?
2. I did, that is such a neat thing, you know I’m pregnant too, maybe the boys will play together when they grow up,
3. Do you think we ought to have fish at the reception as well as beef?
B. And Joseph does a "whoa, what did you say?" and Mary would respond and say "Do you think we ought to have fish at the reception as well as beef?
1. "No, not that the other part."
2. "Oh, you meant about Rachel comig down, didn’t I tell you?"
3. Seriously how do you tell your fiance that you are pregnant and he had nothing to do with it.
C. Into the Quiet Night (Matthew 1:19)
1. Well Joseph was much cooler and collected than most men would be.
2. He had at least two choices of what to do with Mary
a. The law said she could be taken to the gate and stoned to death
b. Or Joseph could get a rit of divorce
3. Remember though, that they are not married and according to custom that some severing of ties was necessary.
a. Joseph chose to not cause a ruccous, because he loved this young lady
b. He chose to quietly rid himself of Mary
III. The Change of Heart (Matthew 1:20-25)
A. Life is never as simple as cutting ties quietly.
1. That night as he went to a restless sleep, he saw an angel of the Lord
2. The angel said, "Trust her, Joseph, trust her."
a. The angel confirms the words of Mary
b. Mary is pregnant with a child conceived by the Holy Spirit
3. I can’t explain it. I don’t understand it. I don’t even know if I like it, but if it’s of God it is for me.
B. So Joseph decides to marry to Mary, while she is carrying a child not of him.
1. He chose to be chuckled at.
2. He chose to be part of the back room conversation.
3. He chose to have people gossipping about his relationship with Mary
4. He even chose to have his marriage with Mary questioned from the very outset.
C. Joseph chose the hard way, because he trusted in the Lord and did as he advised.
D. Paul Harvey tells the story about a family on Christmas Eve.
1. This family had a tradition where the Mother and children would go to the Christmas Eve service, and the Father would stay home and read the paper.
a. When the family returns from church, they would all gather to ope their presents.
b. The father was not an evil man, but he just couldn’t believe in the childhood stories anymore of God coming as a baby in a manger.
c. As the family left for church, he opened up the evening paper and began to read by the fireplace.
2. Suddenly, he heard tapping on the window.
a. It was a bird flying against the glass of his window trying to get out of the snow into the warmth of his home.
b. The man had compassion on the bird, and he went outside, hoping to bring it in.
c. As he approached the bird, the bird just flew against the window even harder.
d. Pretty soon, the bird flew into the bushes below the window, half frozen, yet too afraid to be cuaght by this huge man.
e. The more the man tried to reach for the bird, the more the bird flew frantically into the show and thorns of the bushes.
3. After a few minutes in the cold and seeing the bird continue to injure itself, the man yelled in frustration, "Stupid bird, can’t you understand that I’m trying to help?"
a. The man paused and thought, "If only you understood you wouldn’t fly away…if only…if only I could become a bird, and get you to understand.
b. Just then, the church bells rang, as they always have on the hour.
c. But when the man heard the bells this time, he fell to his knees and began to cry, saying, "Oh, God, I didn’t understand. Oh, God, I didn’t understand."
4. God’s son came in human form that we might understand from where we have come, for what reason we were seperated and how e couuld be restored to God.
IV. The Messiah Is Born
A. Then in a manger, because of the lack of rooms a baby was born.
1. The son of Man
2. The son of God.
B. Luke 2:4-7 "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
C. John 1:1-5, 14, 17-18
Conclusion:
I. Richard Bandler tells one story about visiting a mental institution and dealing with a man who insisted he was Jesus Christ – not metaphorically, not in spirit, but in the flesh.
A. One day Bandler walked in to meet this man.
1. "Are you Jesus?" he said. "Yes, my son," the man replied.
2. Bandler said, "I’ll be back in a minute."
3. This left the man a little bit confused.
B. Within three or four minutes, Bandler came back, holding a measuring tape.
1. Asking the man to hold out his arms, Bandler measured the length of his arms and his height from head to toe.
2. After that, Bandler left. The man claiming to be Christ became a little concerned.
3. A little while later, Bandler came back with a hammer, some large spiked nails, and a long set of boards.
C. He began to pound them into the form of a cross.
1. The man asked, "What are you doing?"
2. As Richard put the last nails in the cross, he asked, "Are you Jesus?"
3. Again the man said, "Yes, my son."
4. Bandler said, "Then you know why I’m here."
5. Somehow the man recalled who he really was. His old pattern didn’t seem like such a good idea. "I’m not Jesus. I’m not Jesus!" the man started yelling. Case closed.
II. It is true, though, that by Jesus going to the cross and being raised from the dead that we know all that is written in these pages are true.
A. For Jesus brought both grace and truth.
B. Have you obeyed Jesus
