Luke 2.8-20

Title: The Shepherds’ Story

Text: Luke 2.8-20

 

Introduction: Ps 119.18… Lord, open our eyes that we may behold wondrous things out of your Law. Amen

Read the traditional story; Lk 2.8-20; though there are many characters in this story, and the most important character is Christ, this little section, this pericope is framed and hemmed in with the Shepherds (v 8, 20);

You see my Title: I’d like to look at their story, Last week we looked at the Wise Men (Magi) as shared by Matthew. Luke chooses to tell us of a different group of people. Whereas the Magi were prominent, probably wealthy foreigners – servants to the King; these shepherds represent the poor and socially outcast. So, first, I want to answer some questions about who they were and what they were doing. 2^nd, I want to explain their experience concerning the sign they were given by the Angel. And 3^rd, We’ll look at what they found when they followed their curiosity, believing what the Angel had proclaimed.

I.     The Shepherds (8-11)

exp.:

• Who were they?
  • The lowest class of people – socio-economically – like I mentioned earlier, the polar opposite of the Magi; consider the Magi entering into Jerusalem. They get entrance to the king. The Shepherds? I don’t think they would have an audience with the King. The Magi – well dressed and having an entourage. The Shepherds? Probably dirty and surrounded by sheep! But here’s a similarity for you: the Magi were foreigners. And so probably, too, were the Shepherds. I honestly never thought that through – I always just assumed the Shepherds were from Israel. Let me show you in the text.
• Where were they from? Rd v 8a; In the same region; does that mean that they weren’t normally from that region, they just happen to be there? Isaiah 60.1-7; Jeremiah 49.28; Genesis 25.13;
• What are they doing? Rd v 8b; most literally: watching watches; ill.: isn’t that how it is when you work all night long? Working in the fields w/ their sheep,
• What did they see? Rd v 9; An angel of the Lord; appeared; 21x’s in NT; All by Luke except Paul uses it three times; 1 Thess 5.3 – in the return of Christ; there is a sense of suddenness, catching one off guard; So, there, the shepherds are, minding their own business, and shoomp, there’s an angel standing there; but there’s something accompanying the angel which adds to the scene – what is it? Rd 9b: God’s Glory; No wonder they were sore afraid; lit.: they feared a great fear; Think Peter, John, Isaiah; read v 10-11; Wow! What a message! Rd v 12 a;

t.s.: this is our 2^nd point this morning… the way the Shepherds would know what the Angel said was true is that there would be a sign for them.

II.    The Sign (12-15)

exp.: rd v 12; Isa 7.14 told us to look for this: ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. The context in Isaiah would lead someone to think that he’s talking about his own son (as mentioned in Isa. 8), but we come back to the promised son in 9; Why would the Shepherds need a sign? To help us understand this, let’s look at the sign.

1^st, a baby: how many were in Bethlehem? When Cameron was born, he was the only baby born that day. There was another baby there who had been born the night before. And, when we left, there was another lady walking around ready to deliver… New Braunfels has more than 100,000 people in that vicinity – maybe more. I’m guessing in Bethlehem, a newborn baby would have been easy to find.

2^nd, wrapped in swaddling clothes; this word, here in the Gk, is a word derived from the Gk word meaning strip, as in a strip of cloth; further, that word is a derivative of the word σπαράσσω [sparasso /spar·as·so/] v. Prolongation from spairo (meaning “to grasp”, apparently strengthened from 4685 through the idea of spasmodic contraction); the picture this word creates is a cloth contracted tightly around the baby. One of my elders in Tyler said their family calls this: a baby burrito! What a great description! The 1^st part of this sign is you’ll find a burrito baby.

In Ken Bailey’s book, he said the angel anticipated their anxiety and told them not to be afraid: The angels anticipated this anxiety (remember, they feared a great fear) and told the shepherds they would find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes (which was what peasants, like shepherds, did with their newly born children). But there is a third part to this sign – rd 2.12 – lying in a manger;

            3^rd, Lying in a manger

app.: this is their sign – a baby tightly wrapped in a strip of cloth, lying in a manger; And then, all of the sudden, there was with the angel… rd v 13-14;

t.s.: Now, rd v 15; and that brings us to this last part… the scene

III.   The Scene (16-20)

exp.: rd v 16; 1^st we note how they went with haste; 2ndly, we note they find, found; rd v12; they found the baby, just as the angel had said; lying in a manger.

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Excursus: I’d like to take a moment and revisit our Bible Study from Wednesday night – when we looked at the passage just before this one (2.1-7). The Scripture says in these first 7 verses that:

1^st of all, this most likely wasn’t in a barn and it wasn’t in a cave. It was probably all taking place in a house in Bethlehem. These ideas of Mary’s abandonment and struggle come from tradition – not from Scripture. The most likely source is a story written around 200 AD (cf. Bailey). Luke 2.6 clarifies that they had been in Bethlehem when Mary went into labor.  Rd 2.6

2^nd, there was no inn. Inn is a very poor translation and probably has just kept being used by new translations because it really messes up the traditional story. It isn’t wrong per se, just there is a better word in English that we could use here. The word used here is translated more closely as a “guest room”. Let me show you what I mean:

• Most houses were one-room – those homes of common people were one room: consider Lk 13.5
• 2^nd, these homes would house their animals, too. Most people didn’t have barns. The Parable of the Wealthy Fool describes a man who built storehouses – not barns. A barn is really a western idea.
• Kataluma κατάλυμα; Mk 14.14; Luke 22.11; wealthier folks had a 2^nd room – a guest room. For the wealthiest, it would oftentimes be on top – like a 2^nd floor – which is what we find at the Last Supper; Luke 22.12
• The word ‘room’ in 2.7 means space; there is no room on the table.
• Added to this: Luke has a story about an Inn and an Innkeeper; Luke 10.34 – The Parable of the Good Samaritan. If Luke meant an inn, why didn’t he use that word?

 

exp.: I’d like to demonstrate for you what a typical house might look like. When we understand, other passages become clearer. For example, Judges 11.29-40; Jephthah; It never crossed his mind that a person would come out of the door! He thought it would be a goat or a cow or some other animal that was housed up! In the story of the Magi, when they get to Bethlehem, where do they find the Messiah they’ve been seeking: And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.

Apologies: listen, I know this is kind of strange – after all of the years you’ve probably had visions of Mary all alone and crying in a dark alley, Joseph taking her to some barn to deliver her baby because she’s been rejected by the people of Bethlehem – that’s all great staging for storytelling, but it isn’t what the Bible communicates.

Mary and Joseph stay with their relatives in Bethlehem, but apparently so did some other relatives who are in the guest room. Because there is no room (space) and because Mary is pregnant, she’s in need of care… She’s in the house. When the baby comes, she wraps Baby Jesus in cloths and lays him in the perfect bassinet next to her – a manger, a feeding trough.

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Here’s what I love about this story: they went with haste to see what the Angel had proclaimed to them – and they found things just as the Angel had said. I think of the story of the wise men, who sought the one born King of the Jews. And, now, we see these men doing the same thing! I reminded of Deu 4.29ff: But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰ When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. ³¹ For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.;

Can we pause right here and post our 1^st observation?

Observations:

• Seek: You will find Him if you search after Him with all of your heart and with all your soul! Did you know that promise still holds true for you today? The context for that passage was for the Jews who had abandoned their God. God promised them, that even after that failure, he would be found by them – if they searched for him with all their heart. That means in your state right now, if you seek him, you’ll find him, if you search w/ all your heart. You’ve got to do what these guys did – you’ve got to respond to the message you’ve heard. Notice they didn’t just say: Wow! That was cool! So, where were we? Oh, yeah… No, they went with haste! What a perfect time of the year to seek Christ. What a perfect time in your life – right now, to seek him!
• Share: Rd v 17-18; I love this. They didn’t keep quiet about it. They shared! That’s what we should be doing! We should be sharing, too. This is observation #2: Share this wonderful, good news of the Savior you’ve found. Can I ask you…has God been good to you?

Maybe you’re thinking no. Maybe you tried trusting the Lord, but it just didn’t seem like he answered you. Can I be blunt – God will not bless you in your sin. I know some folks think that God hasn’t been good to them because he hasn’t blessed them in their sin. I wouldn’t say God does that. But, seek him – his kingdom and his righteousness (and all of these things shall be added unto you, as well). Tell others of his goodness toward you.

• Give Glory: Rd v. 19-20; 3^rd observation – I think this is what God wants in the Christmas story – the glory! He wants us to praise and glorify him!
• The Reason we Hope. Russel Moore, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Of the SBC: Article on Atheist’s advice to Lie to Your Children… Jesus told us to have a child-like faith. Even the Atheists see it. For many without hope, the holidays can be a sad time. But it is the same for those who hope.

Often times our expectations of what once was and our experience, in reality, differ so greatly that it hurts and we get depressed. I watched a video of the Chapmans. For those of you who don’t know, Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, lost their youngest girl in an accident. Their youngest son was driving back up to the house and in the excitement, little Maria ran out in front of the car. Will Franklin never saw his little sister. Their grief is inexpressible. As they pulled out ornaments to adorn their Christmas Tree, they have very special ornaments made by Maria. As they videoed the time of Christmas preparation, they talked about how hard Christmas is, but just what it means to them. I hope and pray I never have to experience what they went through, but what a message. The Reason for this season – God with us, is so that we can have the hope of one day being with him forever. And, added to this, we will be reunited with those who’ve gone before us. The pain is real and present. But the pain will not last forever. We celebrate what God has done because of the hope he has given us.

If you don’t have this hope, come talk with me.

Missing Christmas

Title: Missing Christmas

Text: Matt 2.1-12

CIT: Some people missed that first Christmas.

CIS: We can miss Christmas this year if we are like them…

Introduction: Van Morris from Mt. Washington, KY tells the story of a woman who was doing her last-minute Christmas shopping at a crowded mall in days before Amazon.com. She was tired of fighting the crowds. She was tired of standing in lines. She was tired of fighting her way down long aisles looking for a gift that had sold out days before.

Her arms were full of bulky packages when an elevator door opened. It was full. The occupants of the elevator grudgingly tightened ranks to allow a small space for her and her load.

As the doors closed, she blurted out, “Whoever is responsible for this whole Christmas thing ought to be arrested, strung up, and shot!”

A few others nodded their heads or grunted in agreement.

Then, from somewhere in the back of the elevator, came a single voice that said: “Don’t worry. They already crucified him.”

I get the idea that this woman was missing Christmas.

Transition: I think it’s easy to miss Christmas. I did for many years. Even after becoming a Christian, I still didn’t get what Christmas was all about – what Christmas is all about.

In Matthew 2, we read about different people or groups of people who missed that first Christmas for various reasons. Rd v 1-2;

We can miss Christmas this year if we are:

I.     Self-Centered like King Herod

exp.: rd vs 3; He was troubled; stirred; Why? He was looking out for himself. You see, He was a very selfish man! So concerned for his throne was he, that he murdered anyone whom he thought might try and take it from him;

ill.: Those he killed (pg 70, Miracle).

exp.: feeling he had been tricked by the Magi and worried about this baby boy, he responds with a fury – rd 2.16-18; Man, Herod is doing anything he can to protect his throne. He is going to miss Christmas because he is most concerned about himself.

app.: We can miss Christmas this year if we are intolerant of Christ and his right to sit on the throne of our lives – if we seek our own rights obsessively; this sounds harsh, but I don’t know of any other way to say this – you ready? You’ll miss Christmas if you think Christmas is all about you. That was Herod’s problem.

t.s.: Let’s look at the 2^nd group.

II.    Self-Satisfied like the people of Jerusalem

exp.: We see them in v 3; rd v 3; but their troubled minds are well-warranted! For them, it’s self-preservation like Herod, but on a different level. They know very well what could happen if Herod gets upset. And, as we read down in v16-18, their concerns become a reality.

And why shouldn’t they miss Christmas? They had everything they needed right there in Jerusalem. They don’t need any more religion. They had the Temple – and they thought that meant they had everything. They missed Jeremiah’s message in chapter 7 about putting their trust in the Temple: Jeremiah told the people: Amend your ways. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord!’ Their understanding was that God dwelt in a building made by men. They had this understanding that God was in their midst. So, they didn’t worry about externals because they were sure that God was on their side. But here’s the problem – they had set the terms: 1) the building; 2) the leaders 3) their rules and regulations – they had their religion

III.   Self-Righteous like the Religious Leaders.

exp.:  rd v. 4-6; they’re busy; they just throw out the answer and move on; I’m shocked that none said, “Why do you ask?”  Israel had been looking for the messiah since Deu. 18:15; He had been promised since Genesis 3.15; Here the religious leaders knew the answer to Herod’s question but couldn’t care any less about what it actually meant.

ill.:  J. MacArthur: These men were too busy with themselves to be concerned about Jesus. Engrossed in their own pride, their self-righteousness, their self-sufficiency, they carried on their ritual and their petty theological discussion in the confines of their own comfortable system. They had no time for the Son of God.

app.:  Here’s the problem – sometimes we know the answers here (point to my noggin), but we can’t apply the answers here (point to my heart). Is there any excuse for us? I wonder if these guys had stopped looking for the Messiah. They got wrapped up in study and memory work, they just forgot all about what they were supposed to be doing.

And let’s be honest: it’s easy to do! It’s easy to focus in on the holiday on activity and parties and forget the real reason for the season. It’s easy to think Christmas is all about you. It’s easy to zero in on all of the activity and get so busy you miss the baby in the manger. It’s easy to entrust the work to someone else.

ill.: I think we are already doing that around here; in commercials; in Christmas displays; In the songs playing in stores; Lisa and I stopped in at Starbucks for some Tea and Coffee when little Cameron was born. We got a lot of drinks for the family. As we were waiting on our order to be filled, I looked around to see if there was anything in the Holiday decorations that made reference to Christ. Anything! I found nothing. Nothing at all to even hint that Christmas is about Christ.

ill.: Last Christmas I watched a News interview of people on T.V. who were in the holiday spirit: The views ranged from sentimental to irreverent. Some were sentimental saying Christmas is a time for family and friends. Others said it is a special time for Children. Some people were humanistic saying it is a time for brotherly love, to put aside our differences and come together. Others were just downright rude, saying that it was just another excuse to party. But not one person being interviewed said it was a time to recognize the birth of Christ.

To further illustrate this point: Is Jesus featured on television at Christmastime? According to a National Religious Broadcasters analysis of 48,000 hours of programming during December 2002, 90 percent of programming did not have a significant spiritual theme.

Some 7 percent had a religious or spiritual theme but did not refer to Jesus.

Jesus was the focus of only 3 percent of Christmas programming.

app.: you won’t find the Christ-Child, the Messiah on TV or in the papers; you’ll find him…we’ll may I quote: Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

t.s.: and finally…

We are sure to enjoy Christmas this year if we

IV.    Insistently, Incessantly Search for Christ

exp.: Why? What got them started? I’ll tell you what, time is getting away from us, so, we’ll pick up with this next week and talk about the ones who didn’t miss that first Christmas.

Take-a-ways:

1. Just like Herod, we all need to learn this lesson: Christmas isn’t about you. But then again, most things in life aren’t. Christmas is a great time to focus on others and to pour our love out on them. And building on that…
2. The word holiday, in our modern-day language, is formed from two words: Holy & Day. Can we bring holiness back into the season? I’m not talking about just being religious – like the inhabitants of Jerusalem. You might be wondering how…
   1. Well, one thing you can do: come to church for worship on Christmas Eve. It’s a great way to put your ‘holiday’ time into a proper perspective. I’m not saying to abandon your traditions or kick out your relatives. I’m just saying take some steps to make the occasion holy. Sure, you’ll have to work through some logistics: you may have your family visiting. Bring’ em along. They’re not saved, you say… Invite them. What a witness to declare to them this is a holy time for you. This season is when your Messiah was born.
   2. Something else you could do is to give your gifts away. Don’t panic, but just hear me out. Instead of giving gifts to each other, take the money you were going to spend on gifts in your family and go on a mission trip together. Or buy Christmas gifts for a needy family who won’t have nice gifts.

Be creative – make the season holy…

3. As I think about these religious leaders, I really feel for them. They’re so religious, they miss the single greatest religious moment of their lives. Listen, there is a lot to do in getting ready for Christmas. You may have travel plans, family coming in, decorating, buying food, gifts, and the list goes on. Don’t get so busy with working to make the holiday grand that it just goes right on by you and all you feel is worn out. If you’re working hard to make it grand, then enjoy it. Sit down with a cup of coffee (or hot chocolate; or eggnog) and watch the lights on your tree and listen to and sing along with the Christmas music. Soak it in.

Joseph

Title: Joseph

Text: Matthew 1.18-25

Introduction:

Every year I get the same questions about sermon preparation for Christmas: What are you going to say different? About Mary, About Joseph, About the Magi, About his birth? That’s a good question! What’s new about the birth of Jesus? Many of you have heard the Christmas Story preach or talked about more times than you can count! When preaching on Joseph, we come to an especially difficult place. We don’t have any quotes from him. There is so much more about Mary. Let me encourage you to look for something different – maybe, for something you’ve never noticed before – or something you’ve never thought of before.

For me, I’d like to personalize it – make it more of my own. So, let’s review the story of Joseph. Then later, you can tell me if you learned something new. Truth is, if we look, every time we read the Scriptures, God reveals something special that we’ve not seen before. He teaches us something new or brings things into perspective from a different vantage point.

Have you ever noticed it for yourself? You read something you’ve read it before, but this time, you learn something new?

Let’s not assume we know the story, but rather, let’s go to the Bible. I say that because much of what we know of the Christmas story is from songs and plays and movies. Some of the stuff is fluff!

Transition: This morning I’m simply going to share with you of how Joseph submitted to the will of God – once he knew it. I’m going to share with you of the struggle he endured – and try to help you see just how great that struggle was. But first, I’d like to just begin with his situation. Rd v 18; the 1^st tidbit of information we’re given is Joseph’s situation:

I.     His Situation (18)

exp.: he is betrothed to a young lady named Mary; if this is a typical betrothal, she’s a young girl…a teenager say 15 years old or even younger; we all know women who were married by that age or even younger; to be betrothed means that one has pledged their ‘troth’ to another; their truth or fidelity; You know of the arranged marriages in that culture; these exist today;

ill.: back at Calvary, we adopted some IMB missionaries who serve in a country where there are arranged marriages. There were multiple instances where these young ladies were given to none believers. You and I have to take ourselves out of our current mindset to try and understand just how arranged marriages work. I think this is a very real problem for young women in middle eastern and eastern countries where young believers are given in arranged marriages to non-believers.

For Joseph, His situation is fine, except for one small detail we find in verse 18; before they came together she was found to be with child…; When you and I read about his betrothal, we understand him to be engaged to Mary. But for Joseph, it’s more that!

Jewish Weddings in that day were quite different than the weddings you’ve probably experienced. The Jewish Wedding contained two main parts:

• The Kiddushin – betrothal (pledge); this is the period of time in which v18 is referring. It might be something similar to an engagement period, but much more intense. We would see this couple as married. They have a relationship in which they are married in every way except, in the evening, she goes home to mom and dad. They’ve not consummated the relations – and won’t until after the next part…
• The Huppa (Wedding ceremony – one year later); during the Kiddushin, the bride would prove her fidelity. You’ve probably seen a Jewish wedding on TV or in a movie. Maybe you’ve even been invited to one and experienced it. It is a huge event.

Ill.: remember the wedding at Cana (John 2), when Jesus turned the water into wine? A big event… So big, they ran out of wine…

app.: So, it is during this one-year period (The Kiddushin) that it is discovered Mary is pregnant. And Joseph doesn’t know the last part of that verse yet…from the Holy Spirit.

Listen, there are some secrets you can hide, but being pregnant is practically impossible to hide.

t.s.: So, 1^st we see his Situation: He has pledged his love and fidelity to Mary (and her to him), but it appears she has broken faith, but Matthew then shows us Joseph’s struggle

II.    His Struggle (19-23)

exp.: rd v 19; Man, you really begin to see this man’s character when his struggle reveals his character. I think Character has come to describe a person, either good or bad. But I think the original meaning was only good and virtuous. Someone either had Character or he/she didn’t. Noah Webster wrote in 1828: The peculiar qualities, impressed by nature or habit on a person, which distinguish him from others; these constitute real character, and the qualities which he is supposed to possess, constitute his estimated character, or reputation. Hence we say, a character is not formed, when the person has not acquired stable and distinctive qualities. So, you either have character or you don’t. Let’s look at Scripture says about his character:

• He is righteous or just; I love this word δίκαιος; this word describes a person’s actions; to say that someone is righteous or just doesn’t mean they’re good in their heart, but that they’re good in their actions. This is a word that describes God. He is righteous.

Ps. 36.6: ⁶        Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep;

Ps. 65.5: ⁵        By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, man and beast you save, O Lord.

Ps. 74.19: ¹⁹     Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?

Being righteous means acting rightly. Joseph wants to do the ‘right’ thing. He is going to act in a godly manner about this horrible, embarrassing situation he’s found himself in.

Now, I’m pretty sure you know by now his options, but let’s just review them;

1. The Law said such a crime deserved death; Deu. 22.21 said any woman who played the prostitute should be put to death by stoning; But did you know that the penalty was higher for the daughter of a priest? Remember last week we learned that Mary is of the priestly lineage of Jesus. Lev 21.9; any daughter of a priest getting pregnant out of wedlock should be burned to death; Now to be fair, the laws in that day had been changed and altered and explained away that it wasn’t really that common to happen. You remember John 8…the woman caught in adultery?
2. So, another option available to him would have been to charge her publicly and put her on trial for her actions. Though death might not have been the judgment, she definitely would have been publicly disgraced. She probably would have been beaten in the public square. Her family would have been humiliated. But Joseph doesn’t appear to even consider these options; death and a trial are really out of the question for him; If he wanted to though, he could have really broken her spirit. Here’s his answer: rd 1.19b – and unwilling to put her to shame.

ill.: Pause for a moment and think about your young self: how would you have handled such an embarrassment? You feel the pain of betrayal. You feel the embarrassment of her infidelity. How would you have responded? How have you treated others in the past for the way they mistreated you? Or, the way you felt you were mistreated?

This little comment in v 19 says so much about his character, his kindness – even toward this one who has hurt him! Rd 19c – resolved to divorce her quietly… He didn’t want to publicly humiliate her, so, he has still another option: (the verse continues)

3.  He resolved to divorce her quietly; yes, divorce…Now, you might be thinking, “Hey, wait a minute, they weren’t married! They were only engaged. Remember, you can’t think of this in 21^st Century, Western World terms. In a Jewish marriage, they enjoyed all the rights of a married couple, except consummation and living together; There’s something else to consider as well: The father had received a dowry for her; (they lose a worker, the other family gains one); So, if the marriage was to be dissolved, there needed to be a returning of the dowry; But that aside, consider this word ‘quietly’. Whatever the arrangements were before, Joseph has decided to do this all quietly. Gk.: λάθρᾳ (lathra); lathroscopic; privately or quietly; Acts 16.37; But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? Can I just tell you that this communicates to us so much about this man? Why would Joseph now resolve to treat her so kindly? Answer: Because of the 1^st statement…he is just, righteous; just like Jesus (as we say in John 8);

I’d like to take a moment and go to Isaiah, who gives a repeated picture of Christ in the Suffering Servant; one such picture (ch. 42.1ff), reads…;

The Lord’s Chosen Servant

42 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations. (we meet the servant in v 1,4)

²       He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

³       a bruised reed he will not break,

and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice. (we see his service – just, right – in v 2,3)

⁴       He will not grow faint or be discouraged

till he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his law.

t.s.: Joseph (acting very Christ-like) looked beyond the punitive measures of the law to meet the needs of a young teen whose life had been radically changed. She was bruised and burnt out, but he didn’t break or quench her.

4. But there is one more thing here that Matthew wants us to see in the next verse (20a); When considering his options and his actions, we come to a clearer perspective of his character. Rd v20; In v 20a, this word ‘considered’, is only used one other time in the NT and that’s in Matthew (9.4); rd 20a; think evil; Gen 6.6 (sorry; regret); Joshua 7.21 (translated coveted);

ill.: This past Thursday was filled with emotion. I’m so proud – in a good way. But, I experienced an emotion that I just don’t know how to describe. In those precious moments after our grandson was born, I was filled with great emotion – an emotion I don’t know quite how to describe. After I had spoken with my mom, I thought of my dad, who passed away 20 years ago. Regret; anger; sadness; hurt; disappointment – and yet, none of the above, but some of all of the above. It was all through my thinking. No decision had to be made – no action to take. Just emotion – an indescribable emotion.

App.: that’s what we’re getting here – regret, anger, sadness, hurt, disappointment, sorrow. And in all of this – what an incredible balance between his pain, his anger, and the way he chooses not to respond in like manner – to hurt her, to cause her pain. But, instead, he responds… well, like Jesus – in a godly fashion.

• He is hurt (troubled, disturbed, angry, most lit.: stirred); ‘as he considered these things; he’s in turmoil; What is important to note is the timing – translation: while he is in turmoil…behold, an angel of the Lord…rd v 20b-23;

t.s.: So, Matthew shows us 1^st, His Situation, and (2^nd) how he Struggled with it all. Now, Matthew lets us in on one last bit of information about Joseph – his obedience to God’s instructions through the angel…

3.   His Submission

exp.: We see his submission in v24-25; four specific details to show his submission to God’s will:

• He did
• He took
• He knew her not (Gen 4.1)
• He named

Conclusion: From what I read in Bailey’s book and MacArthur’s Commentary, Women didn’t have to go along on these journeys to handle the legal matter of registering for the census. (Read from a commentary) So, why did Joseph bring Mary along? I think it was because he was just and righteous, demonstrating a deep kindness and just how much he cares for Mary. Maybe he was concerned for her back home with what the people knew (or assumed they knew). Maybe she wasn’t safe back home without his protection. Maybe he didn’t want to leave her to have the baby alone; Maybe, he wanted to bring her along because he knew the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem; Whatever his reason, even in her state, he brought her along… He was a just man, a righteous man… and that was evident in what he did.

Take-a-ways:

1. Character is revealed through struggle. How are you responding to your struggle? Do you want to get back at, or hurt those who’ve injured you? If you were to ‘self-evaluate’ your situation, what kind of grade would you give yourself?
2. Do you have a forgiving spirit toward those who’ve hurt you? It is a characteristic of our Lord – forgive them, Father, they know not what they do. It doesn’t mean you have to keep going back to that person and serve as their punching bag. It doesn’t mean you have to go back to that person and be their doormat for them to mistreat you. But there is something truly powerful in forgiving someone. Bitterness, Anger, resentment, hatred… those are just toxic emotions that destroy your spirit. Susan Cheever wrote: Bitterness is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die.
3. Emotion is a wonderful blessing and yet a horrid curse – all depending on what it does to you. Something I’ve learned from my wife is never to make decisions when I’m hurried or emotional. Sometimes you have to make decisions when you’re emotional, but you’ve got to get the better of your emotions and make a well thought out decision. I learned this much the hard way. I’m the kind of dad who would charge into the bedroom and spank all three of my kids – only to later find out only one of them had been at fault. I wish I would have counted to 10 first: counted by minutes… or even hours.
4. Do you realize that what you believe is what you do? Much like Joseph who did as the Lord commanded; who took Mary to be his wife; who knew her not until she had given birth; who gave him the name Jesus, as was commanded. We oftentimes speak of faith as something we possess – my faith got me through it. But, faith is really a verb…

The Genealogy of Christ

Title: The Genealogy of Christ

Text: Matthew 1:1-17

CIT: God’s Work throughout Time

CIS: God has been at work pulling all things together in presenting Christ. God is still at work today.

Introduction:

Princess Diana, Winston Churchill, and George W. Bush are distant relatives whose ancestry can be traced back to a fifteenth-century English squire, genealogists say. Researchers for the U.S.-based company MyFamily.com found that the trio’s roots can be traced to Henry Spencer of Badby, Northamptonshire. Badby lived between 1420-1478 and was married to Isabella Lincoln.

According to Gary Boyd Roberts, a genealogist at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, Bush is descended from British royalty going as far back as 12th century King Henry I, the son of William the Conqueror.

So, I was wondering: How important is a genealogy? Did each of these people you see here get their lofty positions because of the genealogy?

Linda Click, Adrian, Mich. Christian Reader Showing that genealogy isn’t that important. She wrote: One day I sat down with my daughter and explained with great pride that her grandfather was a preacher, her great-great-grandfather was a preacher, and her great-great-great-grandfather was a preacher. To which she replied, “Wow! We sure come from a long line of grandfathers.”

Lisa and I have been sharing with folks over the last few months that we’d taken a new position and were going to be moving. “Where?” people would ask. Tarpley, Tx. We would answer. “Tarpley? Where’s Tarpley?” I only met one person who actually knew where Tarpley is! A few new because I said: between Bandera and Utopia or South of Kerrville. But only one person actually knew. Karen Pylant. She said her family is from here.

app.: You know, genealogies aren’t that important to us: maybe through interest, but not for our being able to do things. Lisa and I are not able to come to Tarpley because of our connection to Bruce and Karen Pylant.

I mentioned President Bush, he wasn’t elected president because of his genealogy – not even because his dad had been president. You and I can buy and sell and move and do things without our genealogies. However, for the Jews, that wasn’t the case. Each Jew understood the importance of their genealogy. They needed their genealogy to buy and sell and trade and move and get certain jobs. That’s what we’ll be looking at this morning.

Transition: We begin our journey together in Matthew 1.1. I’ve never heard anyone preach on Matthew 1:1-17; We’ll also be looking at Luke 3:23-37, the genealogy of Christ in that book. You can have them open and flip back and forth if you’d like.

Let’s begin by reading in Matthew…rd v 1; rd v 17

Transition: I’ve divided this morning’s message into two parts: The Importance of His Genealogy and The Interpretation of His Genealogy. Let’s look first at The Importance.

I.     The Importance of His Genealogy

exp.: Genealogies were important for a few reasons:

• Purchasing land: Lev 25:23-27; Ruth 2:20; Jeremiah 32:7,8
• Determining a priestly line: Ezra 2:62; Ezra 7:1-6; Neh 7:64;
• Determining a royal line: 1 Chron 5:1-7 (Gen 35:22; 49:4);

exp.: The importance of His Genealogy: v 2-6a are found in 1 Chr 2:1-15; v 6b-11 are found in 1 Chr 3:10-14; v 12-16 are 1 Chr 3:15-19; Every name is covered up to v 13;  from Abiud through to Christ is unconfirmed, but really no problem. It was very common for families to keep their genealogy! 1 Chronicles 9:1 tells us that all of Israel was recorded in Genealogies; King Saul’s is down in v 35-44;

With Christ’s Genealogy, we have a problem- because we have two of them – and they don’t match! I don’t know if you’ve ever read the genealogies found in Matthew in Luke and compared them, but they differ. Here are some struggles you might have:

1. Luke’s is recorded backward.
2. But even so, From Abraham to David – they’re the same.
3. From David to Zerubbabel, they follow two different lines – but they do come back together at Zerubbabel.
4. Then, from Zerubbabel to Jesus, they split again.

The Featured Image on this posting is a Table Outline of the lineage I’m referring to. and it might help in following along with the names. 

app.: So what is the application to this? If Lineage was so important, why does the Lineage of Jesus seem so messed up? Which one is the right one?  Those are great questions and they should lead us to understand what each writer was doing. We must combine and interpret what we have…

t.s.: So let’s do that… #2… The Interpretation of His Genealogy

2.     The Interpretation of His Genealogy

exp.: Matthew 1:1-17; Lk 3:23 -38; Luke follows the OT Pattern we see with Moses and the way his genealogy is recorded. It is given just before he begins his ministry. It is the same with Luke in recording the genealogy of Christ.

• Two Genealogies: Here’s what I think is happening…
  • First
    1. Matthew – represents Joseph’s lineage: Joseph’s
    2. Luke – represents Mary’s lineage: Lk 3:23 – as was supposed; Luke uses this word quite often, especially in Acts to communicate a thought that people had, but they were obviously wrong;
  • Second
    1. Matthew – uses Joseph’s lineage to confirm a Royal or Kingly Line.
    2. Luke – uses Mary’s line to show or confirm a Priestly Lineage. Connection: Consider that Mary’s cousin was Zechariah and he served as a priest in the Temple.
  • Third
    1. God is using these two to demonstrate his goodness toward us. Can I let you in on a little secret? I think God gives us pictures or illustrations of his story or his existence for us to identify him. For example He gave us pictures of the Messiah in David and Zerubbabel. Theologians call these “types’ of Christ. These two guys were special compared to all of the other kings of Israel. David could function as a priest and a king, but Saul couldn’t. Saul didn’t have both lines. And neither did Solomon, or any other of the Kings. Until you get to Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel is a type of Christ – giving us a picture of the Messiah, so we could recognize Him when he appears. (Ill.: Isaiah 25)
  • Fourth
    28. God is showing us a picture of how he is the Father of Jesus and why the Jewish people would accept Jesus as King. There is a prophecy concerning David, that God promised David that he would always have a descendant on the throne (2 Samuel 7). However, Jechoniah, because he had led the people astray, He was told that he would be childless (Jeremiah 28.30); How can God keep both promises? Kinsman Redeemer. A Kinsman Redeemer is a process that God gave to the people of Israel to ensure that the lineage could be preserved.

Ill.: Ruth 2.20; 3.9; 4.13-14 – they rejoice that God has given Naomi an heir for her husband and her sons. Which, BTW, is preserving the royal lineage. Cf. Mt 1.5

Here’s where I’m going with this: The Jews could accept Jesus as the Messiah because Joseph didn’t have to be Jesus’ biological father. God became the Kinsman Redeemer, if you will, preserving the Royal Lineage on behalf of Joseph.

Conclusion: Now, George W. didn’t get to be president because of his prominent heritage. No one does, except Jesus. He’s different. He is both priest and king. The book of Hebrews teaches about these two roles and how Jesus played the part. He offered Himself on a cross to pay for our sins. Only he could.

Take-a-ways:

1. The Advent of Jesus was not “Plan B”. God had already planned it all out. – Just as he has planned the future.
2. Things are going along according to plan. Just as it was, so it shall be. When Christ returns sometime in our near future, it will all make sense. So, we anticipate his return, just as they anticipated his arrival. We have been given these pictures or illustrations so that we will say as in Isaiah: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
3. We should be praying about our part in the plan. How might God be using you? Will you miss out on things because you’re so into you and not into what God is doing?
4. I’m reminded that all of time is in God’s hands. So is everything outside of time.