The Christmas Promise Series

INTRODUCTION

Christmas is a poof that God is in charge of things. No matter how difficult the situation, God’s Promised Son came into the world at the right time. That is the Christmas Promise to us. There was no delay. Whatever God started he completed; what God promised he fulfilled. That means every time we celebrate Christmas it is a sign of God’s faithfulness. Yes, we have seen difficulties, we have gone through tough times, and sometimes we felt it was all over, but God has enabled us to overcome every setback because of his son Jesus Christ.

This sermon is on what God gave us when he gave Jesus Christ. I want you to focus on this Christmas promise here.

I want to take your imagination to Nazareth. In the city of Nazareth was a handsome young man, Joseph, and a beautiful young woman, Mary. Joseph was a small businessman, working with his hands as a carpenter but a God-fearing man. Mary was a godly young girl and there is the bloom and beauty of youth upon her cheek.

Over time, Joseph and Mary became acquainted. At the appropriate time, Mary and Joseph engaged to get married. But in this culture, before Mary would go home with Joseph there would be some time lapse. The Bible refers to that time as the time of espousal or betrothal.

So, we meet this beautiful young couple in the city of Nazareth. They are of ordinary level in society as we are, not very rich in the worldly sense but a man and woman who knew God.

During this time, one day suddenly an angel appeared to Mary. The Bible says his name was Gabriel. Mary stunned. You and I would be too if suddenly an angel appeared to us. Gabriel tells Mary that she has been given special favor by God. She is the one whom God has chosen to bear the Messiah, the seed of the woman into this world. The promise of Christmas is Jesus crushing the satan.

Soon, Mary got news that her aunt, Elizabeth too conceived miraculously in her old age. Mary not able to talk this to anyone went to the hill city of Judah to tell her aunt of her pregnancy. Mary spent 3 months with Elizabeth and made her way back to Nazareth. Joseph who is waiting for Mary noticed visually that she was with a child. Now here is this young man, in the prime of his life, engaged to Mary, but did not know how to respond to this situation. It would appear that Mary has been unfaithful to him. So, he is left in a predicament. What is he to do?

Joseph determined that he would write a bill of divorce privately. This way Mary’s life would be spared and avoid public humiliation, but the marriage would be ended. It was at this moment that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him not to be afraid and to take Mary home as his wife. Joseph took Mary as wife. Now Mary was fully Joseph’s wife, but he did not know her in the marriage act until after the birth of Jesus. The Very Christmas Promise Himself.

This was a difficult and painful time in my life for Joseph. In many ways even with all of its glory, it was an exceedingly difficult time of life for Mary. How do you explain these things to people? How do you explain things to your husband to whom you are engaged?

Some months later Caesar Augustus declared a census for the whole of the Roman Empire. Everyone had to go to their ancestral home. Joseph’s parentage was traced to King David. He was a descendant of David and Bathsheba through Solomon. It was this lineage that would take him to Bethlehem.

It is a difficult journey. Mary is advanced in days. Finally, they reach Bethlehem and there is no room for them. There seemed to be no compassion on the part of people to take them in. In an ordinary way, Mary gave birth to the Lord Jesus Christ wrapped him in clothes, and laid him in the manger. You see they were doing the will of God, but it was the difficult times of their lives.

So doing the glorious will of God sometimes can be exceedingly painful and difficult. Therefore, the birth of Jesus also has a wonderful lesson for us. As you walk through this world, life may get difficult; most times you are not sure what to do. We only have the Word of God to guide us. But sometimes when we go to the Word of God, just like Joseph and Mary we are not quite clear yet on what to do.