Why Joseph

WHY JOSEPH

Matthew 1:18-25

Intro: There’s a story of a poor family - hard-working parents with a large number of children - where the woman discovers that she has an incurable illness and will die within a year. Her husband is a good man, but obviously incapable of looking after the large number of children alone - particularly in those days when there was no government assistance or social security. And so the heartbreaking tale is of this mother who goes out searching for loving parents who will care for all of her children; she wants to have them all placed before she is taken.

. As I think about this story, I think about the birth of Jesus. Just like that woman who loved her children so much that she wanted to personally choose parents for them, and not leave it to chance, God in the same way went looking for parents to raise His beloved, only-begotten Son.

. He searched the earth, and He found a young girl who we believe was just a teenager. A young woman who had found favor with God as scripture describes her.

. God also searched for a father for His son. Not a biological father but one who would fill the role of earthly father to the perfect child.

. Now I know that some of you may think that your child is perfect but I have news for you. They are not.

. There has never been but one child who was perfect and that child is the one we celebrate every year of Dec. 25th . Jesus Christ.

. We started the advent season this morning anticipating the celebration of the arrival of this perfect child.

. As I was reading the Christmas story that is so familiar to all of us, God impressed upon me the question, why Joseph.

. Of all the Jewish people who were alive at that time, why Joseph.

. I know why he had to be a descendent of David. That was what had been prophesied. But why Joseph. Of the hundreds of thousands of Available men, why would God choose this man.

. We see Mary talked about and almost deified in some religions but we don’t hear a lot about Joseph.

. While God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son, He chose Joseph to be His earthly father.

. What did God see in this lowly carpenter that He would entrust the raising of His son to him?

. What can we learn by looking at this man that God chose for this responsibility.

. Lets look at our scripture.

. Mt 1:18-25;

. This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.19Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.21And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23“Look! The virgin will conceive a child She will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ”

24When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.25But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

. The first thing that God saw in Joseph was a person who was willing to submit to God no matter the cost.

. A person who TRUSTED God.

. Think about this. Put yourself in Joseph’s position. You is engaged to this girl who you love. She comes in one day and announces to you that she is pregnant.

.You say wait a minute. The wedding has already been planned. The wedding is soon. We were going to settle in Nazareth a build a family and now you tell me that you are pregnant.

. Here in verse 19, our scripture says that Joseph was a good man. If he hadn’t been, it was all over. He could have taken this what he thought to be a slap in the face and make this public and everyone would have dragged her into the street and stoned her.

. Nobody would have blamed you. That was what they did with women who were caught in adultery. It would be obvious to everyone that she was guilty. You can only hide a pregnancy for so long.