“The
Pause for Peace - Joseph”
Matthew 1:18-25
Intro: Some
of the most familiar images of Christmas include the baby Jesus in Mary’s arms.
Jesus is the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. But
he was raised in the household of Joseph. Joseph’s role is easily
overlooked;
nonetheless there are many lessons we can learn from this humble
carpenter and the pause for peace he received from God. It is easy to lose our
peace in the midst of the holiday season. Joseph’s peace can become our
peace today!
This is how the birth
of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,
but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy
Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to
expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after
he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because
what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from
their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord
had said through the prophet: "The
virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him
Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of
the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union
with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Matthew 1: 18-25
Who Was Joseph?
Joseph, the carpenter (Matthew 13:55),
Was a "just man" (Matthew 1:19 the King James Version),
Who belonged to Nazareth (Luke 2:4).
He was of Davidic descent (Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:4),
The son of Heli (Luke 3:23) or Jacob (Matthew 1:16),
The husband of Mary (Matthew 1:16), and the earthly father of Jesus.
The Elements of Peace
– Joseph
1. Holiness is Cultivated by Choice
.
Matthew 1:19a (NIV)
19a Joseph …was a righteous man.
. dikaios – “holy, full of character, equitable, fair”
CHOICE: Purify ourselves -Since
we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from
everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of
reverence for God. 2
Corinthians 7:1
We are the temple of the living God. God has said, “I will
live with them. I will walk among
them. I will be their God. And they will be my people.” 2 Corinthians 6:16b
CHOICE: Reverence for God Because you are human, you find this hard to
understand. So I have said it in a way that will help you understand it. You
used to give the parts of your body to be slaves to unclean living. You were
becoming more and more evil. Now give your bodies to be slaves to right living.
Then you will become holy. Romans 6:19
2. Character is Developed in Adversity.
Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but
before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy
Spirit. Matthew
1:18b
We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character,
hope. Romans
5:3-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials
of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature
and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
3. Compassion is Given with a Cost .
Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and
did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the
engagement quietly. Matthew 1:19
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is
not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
We know what love is because Jesus Christ gave his life for
us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16
You should think in the same way Christ Jesus does. In his
very nature he was God. But he did not think that being equal with God was
something he should hold on to. Instead, he made himself nothing. He took on
the very nature of a servant. He was made in human form. He appeared as a man. He
came down to the lowest level. He obeyed God completely, even though it led to
his death. In fact, he died on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8
4. Obedience Requires Trust .
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph
in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his
mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is
going to search for the child to kill him." So he got up, took
the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed
until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through
the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."
( Hosea 11:1) Matthew 2:13-15
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to
Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother
and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the
child's life are dead." So he
got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning
in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew
to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called
Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He
will be called a Nazarene." Matthew 2:19-23
Trust in the LORD with
all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge
him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
5. Faith Leads Us to Peace .
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the
Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of
Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled
with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. Luke 2:39-40
Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the
Feast of the Passover. Luke
2:41
Everyone who heard him
was amazed at how much he understood. They also were amazed at his answers. Luke 2:47
We have been made right with God because of our
faith. Now we have peace with him because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans
5:1
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his
peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
Lord, you will give perfect peace to anyone who
commits himself to be faithful to you. That’s because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and your minds
because you belong to Christ Jesus. God’s peace can never be completely
understood. Philippians 4:7
