THIS IS BAD!
Matthew 1:18-25
S: Joseph
Th: Courage at Christmas
Pr: GOD HAS GOOD IN MIND WHEN HE MESSES UP OUR LIVES.
?: How? How is this observed with Joseph?
KW: Inductive
TS: We will find in our study of Joseph what God has in mind when He intervenes in our lives.
The _____ aspect of Joseph’s story we are considering is the…
I. DOUBT (18)
II. DECISION (19)
III. DIRECTION (20-23)
IV. DUTY (24-25)
Version: ESV
RMBC 14 December 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Pessimism (over the hill)
I want to share with you some special insight I have developed. For I have figured out what age you are officially over the hill.
Let me ask you this…
How many of you are 43 or older?
Would you please raise your hand?
Now, those of you who did not raise your hand, how many of you were lying?
Well, you are officially over the hill when you hit 43.
Do realize that I say this being over 43!
But when I hit 43, I soberly faced the reality that I was at the top, and it was all downhill from here.
Why?
The reasoning goes like this…
43 is closer to 45 than 40.
45 is closer to 50 than 40.
50 is closer to 100 than 0.
So when you are 43, you are practically 100 already, and thus over the hill.
That makes sense, doesn’t it?
It is pessimistic, though, don’t you think?
1. Have you ever discovered that pessimists prefer the title “realist”?
When you hit 43, be realistic, you are old.
Now, are you a pessimist or an optimist?
We all have a tendency to be one or the other.
Now, I must admit to you, regardless of how over the hill I am, I tend to be an optimist.
I tend to see the glass half full, so to speak.
But the pessimists don’t view themselves as ones that see the glass half empty.
No, they are realists.
They just see things as they are
Now take my wife, .
is a pessimist.
For example, if I say to her, “Honey, you really look good today.”
Do you know what her response will be?
She will say, “Why do you say that? Did I look bad yesterday?”
Yes, it is hard to “win” with the pessimist.
Our series this month is called “Courage at Christmas.”
You may remember that…
2. Last week, we considered Mary as an optimist.
I must admit that I find her to be quite amazing.
The messenger and the message she receives are quite frightening.
An angel that is from out of this world brings a message that she will have a baby while she is still a virgin.
Now, all the plans she had for her own life are interrupted.
Life is going to be much more difficult than she could have ever thought.
So, how does this poor, peasant girl react?
She calmly replies, “Let it be to me as you have said.”
I admit I do a “double-take” on that response.
Even though I tend to be optimistic, I relate much more to Joseph’s response.
You see…
3. Joseph, on the other hand, has trouble accepting the “good news” as good.
When Joseph gets the news about Mary’s pregnancy, his world is turned upside down.
Everything is messed up!
The plans are dashed.
Their ideas are nixed.
Life is now so disappointing.
It is a time of defeat and failure.
Which brings us now to…
OUR STUDY:
I. The first aspect of Joseph’s story we are considering is the DOUBT (18).
Joseph found Mary’s story unbelievable!
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
So, how would you react if you learned that your fiancée was expecting a baby and you were not the father?
We have no idea how Mary approached Joseph on the subject.
We do not know what was said in the conversation between Joseph and Mary.
But whatever she said and however she explained it, it is clear that Joseph didn’t believe it.
The explanation was not satisfactory.
And Joseph must have been filled with consternation and dismay.
In fact, to him the explanation is even profane.
How dare she claim that God has done this to her?
It is such an absurd justification for this sin.
And his conclusion certainly makes sense.
This is not good!
This is bad!
This is an unwelcome nightmare into his life.
The pain must have been excruciating emotionally.
ILL Notebook: Pain (country song)
There is a country and western song that goes like this:
My pain comes and goes
It comes in the morning
And it goes all night long
I think Joseph must have felt something like that.
The pain wouldn’t go away.
This was so unbelievable!
And before you are too hard on Joseph, please remember, you wouldn’t have believed this either!
Now we come to…
II. The second aspect of Joseph’s story we are considering is the DECISION (19).
Amazingly…
Joseph decides to pursue mercy.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
There is no doubt that Joseph could have handled this differently.
Heartbroken and betrayed, he could have embarrassed her.
He could have disgraced her socially.
He could have even had her executed.
Instead he chose to go the quiet route.
There is no explosion of anger.
There is no malice.
Even though this is all very terrible, the response is just one of tenderness.
It is an unexpected response really.
From now on, the back room conversations would be about his heartbreak.
He would be the talk of Nazareth.
Even his friends might distance themselves with chuckles and snide comments.
The scent of scandal would always leave people wondering about what really happened.
Nevertheless, the decision was made.
He would divorce Mary before they even had an opportunity to be together.
[Pause]
ILL Notebook: Dreams
After she woke up, a woman told her husband, "I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace for our anniversary. What do you think it means?"
"You’ll know tonight." he said.
That evening, the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife.
Delighted, she opened it to find a book entitled "The Meaning of Dreams."
Well, Joseph is going to find meaning in a dream…
III. The third aspect of Joseph’s story we are considering is the DIRECTION (20-23).
Joseph needed a word from God.
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).
Joseph was so busy trying to fix things!
Finally, he manages to go to sleep and God goes to work to fix things in the way they were supposed to be.
Joseph gets the Divine whisper he has needed to hear.
For just as Mary has heard from God, so now does Joseph.
But what a dream!
It is an astronomically inconceivable vision.
Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
What she has said is really true.
This is an incredible and unbelievable message.
And Joseph wakes up.
Now, if you were Joseph, would you believe a dream like this?
Not me.
I would blame it on too many tacos and enchiladas.
But Joseph does.
Even though this is a mystery beyond all understanding, he sets out on a new direction.
The Mighty God was going to take on the weakness of a newborn.
As crazy as it all may sound, as illegitimate as it looks, this pregnancy is valid.
So, we come to…
IV. The fourth aspect of Joseph’s story we are considering is the DUTY (24-25).
You see…
Joseph embraced the truth.
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
There is no hesitation.
He has heard from God.
He will take Mary as his wife.
ILL Notebook: Marriage (blind)
It has been said…
Love is blind and marriage is an institution.
Therefore, marriage is an institution for the blind.
Well, there is an element of truth here for Joseph.
He was going to have to be blind to all that was bound to be said about them.
But he had a role to fill.
He was assigned to be the protector of the unborn life of Jesus.
He was assigned to take the mercy he was going to show to Mary and raise a merciful Savior.
APPLICATION:
GOD HAS GOOD IN MIND WHEN HE MESSES UP OUR LIVES.
For Joseph and Mary, instead of planning for a wedding, they were now preparing for a nursery.
And they show us that life doesn’t always goes as we expect it to.
Life is not always easy.
But life’s difficulties make way for God’s delights!
Testimony:
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Believe in the good God has in mind for you…He always has your best in mind, even when things really seem messed up; so do not fear, move forward in faith, embrace the grace of His truth and watch Him go to work!
Now…
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.
