THE GOOD NEWS OF CHRIST’S BIRTH

LAST WEEK we learned from our text in Matthew 1:18-25 that the humanity of Jesus was derived from His mother Mary. The Scripture teaches that “Christ partook of the flesh and blood of the children; that He is a fruit of the loins of David after the flesh; born of the seed of David according to the flesh; a fruit of the womb of Mary; born of a woman; a branch of David; a shoot of the root of Jesse; sprung from the tribe of Judah; descended from the Jews according to the flesh; of the seed of Abraham, since he took on him the seed of Abraham, and was made like unto his brethren in all things, sin excepted; so that in truth He is our IMMANUEL, that is to say, God with us.”

BUT JOSEPH struggled with Mary’s pregnancy. We read in vs. 19 that he was going to put her away. He must have thought, “Here I am betrothed to this woman and she is carrying another man’s child.” But we are also told in verse 19 that Joseph was a righteous and kind man, and because of this he was determined to put Mary away privately. Joseph cares about marriage. He loved the law of God, and he knew that the marriage bed is to be kept undefiled and holy. And though he loved Mary, he determined because of his love of God, and His law, that he will not unite in an estate of adultery with this woman. And so, he was determined to divorce her. 

BUT AT THE same time, Joseph has great love for Mary. This is demonstrated by the fact that he doesn’t take the full recourses of the law that he could have. You see, in the Old Testament, a woman who was betrothed to a man that was found in adultery could have been stoned to death or publicly disgraced and expelled from the community. But Joseph is determined to do this quietly and not to shame her publicly or call for the death penalty. 

HOWEVER, IN VERSES 20 & 21, the angel of the Lord comes to Joseph in a dream, and he says, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” Notice that the angel addresses him as the Son of David. Joseph was a humble carpenter. He was not some great merchant. And yet the angel says, Joseph, remember who you are –you are the son of David, which means he was in David’s lineage. Joseph may not have been impressive in the eyes of the world, yet to God he was a son of David, a son of the man after God’s own heart.
 
AND SO, God’s message to Joseph was, “you take Mary as your wife. And you name that boy, Jesus.” We are told in verse 24 that Joseph awoke, and he did as the Lord commanded. Joseph believed the Word of the Lord and therefore he was obedient. What a great example of the ability to trust God despite all the outward evidence to the contrary. Joseph’s heart is broken but by faith he obeys the messenger of the Lord and takes Mary as his wife. Do we do the same thing? When your world seems to be falling all around you do you believe the promises of God in Scripture? A mark of a true Christian is faith in God’s Word, trusting what He says, following and living according to His counsel no matter what your circumstances may be! Joseph gives us an excellent example of true faith in action even when all outward circumstances would tell him otherwise. You see, we can only believe what God says when we have true faith. People without saving faith in Jesus Christ do not believe God’s Word. Do you believe? Do you trust God when everything around you seems to be coming apart? Joseph did and so must you and I.

Tuesday Encouragement: December 24, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry