Introduction

Hello church! Today we’re going to look at a story from the gospel of Matthew about circumstances leading up to the birth of Christ. Unexpected events are unfolding in the lives of Mary and Joseph who were two very ordinary people. There was nothing spectacular about them. They weren’t famous, popular, or well off. They had no political power. They weren’t religious superstars.

So what were they? They were faithful. They were humble. And they were courageous. These are traits that God can work with. Faithful, humble, and courageous. God sees them and starts doing the unexpected. He sends angels to talk to them. Mary conceives a child through the Holy Spirit. More angels appear to encourage them and give them instructions. These are unthinkable events in the lives of two young, ordinary people.

Main Teaching

Read Matthew 1:18-19. Let’s look at what’s going on here. Mary and Joseph were pledged to be married. They were engaged. In the midst of this engagement period, Mary is found to be pregnant. If you’re Joseph, what are you thinking? You’re thinking she cheated on you. Or you're thinking something very bad happened to her. You’re not thinking that this pregnancy is somehow a good thing. No doubt Joseph and Mary had some private conversations. Her pregnancy was not yet known to the public. When Mary told him, “It was the Holy Spirit and this is God’s child,” Joseph would be skeptical.

Matthew points out that Joseph was "faithful to the law.” Jewish and Roman law both required a man to divorce his wife if she were found guilty of adultery. In fact, if you didn’t divorce your adulterous wife, you were considered weak and treated with contempt. Joseph was also a kind man, so he decided to divorce Mary quietly so that she wouldn’t be disgraced.

Read Matthew 1:20-21. One night an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream. “Don’t be afraid. Mary’s correct: the baby is conceived by the Holy Spirit. She didn’t cheat on you. Something incredible is happening here. You are to give the baby the name ‘Jesus’ because he will save his people from their sins.”

Let’s talk about the name Jesus for a second. Jesus is the same name as Joshua, only Jesus is the Greek version and Joshua is the Hebrew version. Both mean savior. Jesus is the coming savior who will save people from their sins.

Jesus did not come to save us from God. He came to save us from our sins. This is an important note because sometimes we get the idea that God is really angry at us and Jesus comes to save us from him. That’s not what Jesus does. Jesus IS God. Jesus demonstrates that GOD is the savior. What we need is to be saved from our sin, not from God.

What does it mean that Jesus saves us from our sin? What Jesus accomplished on the cross and subsequent resurrection is more than forgiveness. It’s more than our ability to go to heaven. God doesn’t stop there. To be saved from our sins means we are saved from the power of sin. This is so much deeper — and better— than forgiveness only.

If you are addicted to drugs, alcohol, pornography, video games or social media, just to take some practical examples, God doesn’t simply forgive you for that addiction, he also works to set you free from the power and compulsion of that addiction. He loves you. He wants you to be free.

To be saved from our sin means we are saved from the power and compulsion of anxiety, depression, insecurity, arrogance, lust, laziness and dishonesty. To be saved means we’re saved from the compulsion of anger, jealousy, resentment, fear, regret, self-harm, and shame.

These are not conditions that God wants to punish. These are conditions God wants to heal. They are chains that Jesus wants to break. Into the darkness Jesus will shine his light. He wants to save you, so that you are free. He does not condemn you. He sees you in your mess. He came specifically to save you from your sin, to pull you out, to heal you, to restore you to God’s original design. “You are to give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (1:21). This is mind-blowing good news.

George MacDonald (1824-1905) said, “God is not bound to punish sin; he is bound to destroy sin ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium

“You are to give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (1:21).