It’s Not What It Looks Like
Sermon Scripture: Matthew 1:18 - 21 (KJV)
Matthew 1: 18- 21 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought oh 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. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall bless his people from their sins.
I would like to take a moment and share a story with you that was sent to me over the internet the other day.
Two traveling angels
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.
The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room.
Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.
As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.
When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren’t always what they seem."
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.
After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest.
When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears.
Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen?
The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused.
The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.
"Things aren’t always what they seem," the older angel replied.
"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.
Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it."
"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead.
Things aren’t always what they seem."
Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don’t turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every out come is always to your advantage. You just might not
know it until some time later...
Sent by: Anne Jones Gunby
Prayerfully you got something out of this and understand better that things are not always what they seem.
EXPAND ON THESE POINTS:
I feel that I can make a safe assumption that everyone that is paying any attention at all to this sermon has heard the story of the birth of Christ. (Review the birth of Christ in your own words).
A. Born to Joseph and Mary
1. Joseph
- A Galilean carpenter (Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?)
- Joseph was an ordinary man doing ordinary work there was not anything royal or priestly about him. He wasn’t any task master or anyone special. He was simply a man trying to make ends meet. There was no way that the Jews would ever concede to a man of his statue. Since Joseph was so ordinary it was an automatic assumption that his son was a carpenter too and their was nothing special about him.
- Not only was Joseph merely a carpenter but he was from Galilee. Galilee was a city of refuge. In other words when no one else wanted to have anything to do with you because you were considered a murderer by them then they would send you to Galilee. (Joshua 21:32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammothdor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.). Note: the people who were sent to Galilee had been to war and killed for the king.
- Joseph was probably waiting on a sign of the coming of the Lord like all of the other Jews. (18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?) The Jews in all of their intelligence knew that there had to be some special sign in order for Christ to appear. It had to be some type of riddle or something.
- He did not have the proper resources to acquire a lamb for sacrifice for his offering which was the law of the Lord. (Luke 2:24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. / Leviticus 12:8 And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean. It is a pretty convincing assumption that since he didn’t get a lamb that he couldn’t afford it but the bible never says that he couldn’t afford it. In fact the bible never says that Joseph did not have money many of us just assume that because of the situation he found himself in by not being able to provide a decent place for Mary to give birth.
-Although Joseph knew that he was about to receive a blessing from God, he was not fully prepared when it came. How many of us have been promised things by God but find ourselves failing to make the proper preparations to move forth on it.
2. Mary
-She was a virgin probably anxious to have her first intimate experience and even more anxious to bear children. (Luke 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.) She probably felt more like an outcast than someone who was set apart to do the divine will of God.
- God has many of us in this same position right now. We feel like we have been left as outcast never to know or believe that god is setting us up for one of his greatest miracles.
- Mary had to completely trust her future husband. The laws of the land clearly stated that a woman betrothed to be married that has sex with another man shall be stoned to death. (Deuteronomy 22:23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; 24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.)
At this point there was no one on earth to forgive her of such a sin. Had Joseph accused her publicly she would have been judged immediately
- Unlike many of us today, Mary knew that she had to be in line with the word of God and she was also sure that this was an angel of God that had confronted her. She knew that he knew everything about her and her sins so she feared what he would/could say or do to her next. Just because Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Christ the bible never says that she was without sin.
B. Born in an unusual situation
1. Pregnancy
- She was a virgin (Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.) This was a great demonstration by God that he had life as well as death in his hands because he took the usual order of nature and made his will be done. He demonstrated that nature and his will are one.
- Her husband was tasked with the great responsibility of nurturing a pregnant wife and providing for a newborn baby immediately after marrying her. This had to be an awkward feeling for a man who had bargained for a virgin but since he trusted and was trusted by God with his very best I am sure he was taken care of nicely.
2. Delivery
- although both parents were fully convinced of the abnormal
level of holiness on the child (Luke 2:34 And Simeon blessed
them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for
the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;) they couldn’t just go out and request the royal treatment that they felt he deserved in fact they had to flee the scene as if they were runaway slaves or thieves leaving the crime of a scene (Matthew 2:13 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.)
- Jesus was born in secrecy because of the threat of Death from Herod (Matthew 2:3 When Herod the king had heard these
things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.) One of the greatest acts that God ever performed had to be kept secret.
- His first resting place was a feeding trough (manger – was
designed to feed animals) (7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.)
- He was put to his final rest on a wooden cross (cross – designed
as a sacrificial punishment for the worst criminals
C. Born in a strange land
1. Bethlehem – (Bethleem pronounced bayth-leh-em)
a. Also the place of birth for Ruth’s son Obed who was King
David’s grandfather (Ruth 4:17 And the women her
neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born
to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the
father of Jesse, the father of David.
b. Ruth was lead to Bethlehem for an unusual Situation
(Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. 18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. 19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?)
Ruth followed her mother-in-law to Bethlehem even though she had no ties or obligations to because her husband Naomi’s son was dead. Naomi even tried to talk her out of following her.
2. Once Ruth got to Bethlehem she struggled. Living from
leftovers
a. Although Naomi was legally named Obed’s grandmother
she had no biological ties which in itself was unusual
b. Joseph like Ruth did not prefer Bethlehem for the
birthplace of their child but they were lead there by an
unusual situation
3. A Stable (cave) – used by local herdsmen to rest animals
a. dark underground place for animals
b. not fit for human birth not to mention the birth of a king
In today’s standard of child birth and protection it is highly probable that Mary would have went to jail for even thinking about having a baby in such an environment as this. We have so many different safety devices and safety codes necessary for babies in America it makes me wonder how people in other cultures can even give birth anymore without all of the different advantages that we use.
CONCLUSION
If we look at the whole situation with our physical eye then one could easily conclude that there would be no way that this little baby could grow up to be the Messiah (but God). God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. God took a hopeless situation and produced the Messiah (his greatest gift to the world).
Some of us are in hopeless situations in our lives right now. We need to allow God to turn our seemingly hopeless situation into one of his greatest gifts to the world.
