12/10/17 Matthew 1:18-25 Choosing Love. Good morning! Merry Christmas! and welcome to Crossroads Christian Church!... we are here to worship the name of Jesus Christ and celebrate His birth!..., We are going to hear from The Word of God!..., and discover what choosing to love looks like in our lives. Pastor Jeff is not here today. He and his beautiful family are taking some time off to be together. Let us lift them up in prayer for safe travels and a time of refreshing in Jesus name. My name is Mark Prichard; I m your new associate pastor and one of five elders here at the church, and thank you in advance for your prayers as I deliver the message today. But now, before we offer up praise to God with music let s say a prayer and then worship God in song. Heavenly Father, we love you and thank you so much for sending your son, Jesus Christ, the perfect gift and representation of love. Help us to remember just what He did and the love that He showed for all of us. Father, be with Pastor Jeff and Melissa as they travel. Keep them safe and help them to enjoy time with family. Lord, as we enter this time of praise and examining Your Holy Word, I pray that your Holy Spirit would move in the hearts of those who have not yet made a decision to follow Jesus. I pray that Your Holy Spirit would move in the hearts of those who have made that decision but are still living as the world lives. I pray that we would allow your Spirit to wash away all the worries and cares of the past week and prepare our hearts and minds to have a right relationship with you; to demonstrate our obedience to you; and to be completely in love with you In Jesus name, Amen. WORSHIP TIME Jesus always meets us right where we are so there s no need to wait until you think you re ready or worthy or whatever. Come forward and pray, just as you are. The altar is open and there s people to pray with you. Come forward as we praise and worship. ALTAR END OF WORSHIP PRAYER - Father, help us to lift up our faces to you and keep our focus on things above. Help us to choose to love you completely, heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love others as we love ourselves. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen. 1
If you just came in, I m Mark Prichard, your new associate pastor and one of the elders here at Crossroads Pastor Jeff is away spending time with his family so please keep them in your prayers for safe travels in Jesus name. Last week, we began a short sermon series examining the historical Christmas account as written in the book of Matthew. Pastor Jeff opened with the genealogy of Jesus and we learned how God used all types of people, good and bad, in the lineage of our Lord and Savior. Today we are going to be talking about the choice that Joseph, the Father of Jesus, was confronted with and how his decision was one of the most loving reactions to a seemingly impossible situation. Turn with me in your Bibles or Bible apps to Matthew, Chapter 1 verses 18-25. Matthew, Chapter 1, 18-25. If you need a Bible there are plenty in the back corner or I am sure that your neighbor would be happy to share theirs. God speaks to each and every one of us through His Word, but we must read it, study it, digest it, and obey it. (pause) We all are confronted with tough choices in this life. Sometimes it seems there is no right answer... but there is always a righteous answer. Matthew 1:18-25. 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. Let s stop there for a moment. In today s world, it would be bad... very bad for a couple to be engaged and then find out that the brideto-be was pregnant and for the groom-to-be knowing that he was definitely not the one responsible. Think about the situation that 2
Joseph was in for a moment. Now take the scandal, shame, embarrassment, shock, and impending public reaction that might happen in a situation like that today and multiply it by one thousand and you might begin to understand, contextually, the predicament that Joseph found himself in. In Bible times, Jewish marriage customs for engagement were far different and much more strict than today, especially in our Western culture. Marriage was an arrangement by the parents, often without consulting the couple. A contract was prepared and the groom s parents paid a bride price. The contract was immediately binding, and the couple considered married even though the actual ceremony and consummation of the marriage wouldn t occur for as long as a year afterwards. Imagine that! The time between was a testing of fidelity with the couple having little, if any, contact with each other. Jewish custom considered Joseph and Mary as husband and wife, though the marriage had not yet been consummated. Joseph and Mary had no sexual contact with each other, as verse 18 points out, before they came together. So, Joseph was in a quandary. Jewish law said that Mary, because of her perceived unfaithfulness, could be placed before the elders for judgment and put to death. Joseph had a tough choice to make and as a Jew, the seemingly right choice was a very public and disgraceful divorce that might end up with Mary being killed. Just like Joseph, every created being, each of us, has free-will, which is a free choice between thinking, saying, or doing good or evil. Without free-will, we would be robots. Free-will was created by God so we can also choose freely to love Him, because He does not force Himself on anyone. Force would make Him a tyrant and no darkness 3
lives in Him. Evil exists because of rebellious choices and unwillingness to obey God's laws. There is an undeniable link between choosing love and choosing obedience to God as we will discover later. Moving on to verse 20 of today s passage: 20 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. 21 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. 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means God with us ). Imagine what a supernatural scene this was! Imagine what was going through Joseph s mind after encountering an Angel of the Lord and being told something would happen that was physically impossible in earthly and natural terms. Being a Jew, Joseph would have been highly aware of the promised Messiah from the Hebrew Bible. The Old Testament was and is ripe with prophecy concerning the Messiah: 2 Samuel 7 verses 12-16 prophesies that the Messiah would be a descendent of David, through the line of Judah; Joseph was a descendent of Judah as we learned from Pastor Jeff s genealogy last week. Psalm 2:1-12 - The Messiah would be called God s son. The angel 4
told Joseph that what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 7:14 Mentioned in today s passage, the Messiah would be born unto a virgin. Undoubtedly Joseph was thinking about that. Isaiah 61:1-2 The Messiah will bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. The angel told Joseph that Jesus would save his people from their sins. Micah 5:2 The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. While I am not certain that Joseph was yet aware of the decreed census that would eventually take him to Bethlehem, we are certain that trip would take place very shortly after his encounter with the angel, as Mary was already pregnant. With all the other prophecy already mentioned, Joseph would have been quite intrigued as the couple travelled to Bethlehem with a baby due at any time. And lastly, the name to be given the child, Jesus, would have been thought-provoking as first-born sons in Joseph s time were frequently given the father s name or a family name. The Hebrew meaning of Jesus or Y shua means Savior or God saves. Can we say that Joseph undoubtedly knew this child would be the Messiah? Not one hundred percent, however, there is no doubt the possibility crossed his mind more than a few times. Maybe Joseph was like many of us and didn t think he was worthy or of proper status to be involved in such an incredible work of God? But we do know the choice he made. Joseph was obedient to the will 5
of God, just like Jesus would be in years to come. God chose Joseph and Joseph obeyed the Father s will. God chose Jesus and Jesus completed the Father s will. Not only was Jesus born in an unlikely, humble way, and born of unlikely, humble parents, He chose His first followers in unlikely and humble places. Today, when many churches look for people to serve in some ministry role, they search religious schools and seminaries. Jesus went to shores of Galilee and called four common fishermen. Was that a bad choice? Choosing uneducated and tough characters? Jesus chose these unlikely characters to show us that He takes ordinary people, like you and me, and makes them into extraordinary servants of God. If you re sitting here or watching online, called by God, then guess what?... Jesus chose you! God s work is often done by unlikely people from unlikely places people like you and me. To be obedient, we must follow the One who can make us fishers of men. If anything would ever be said about us and our discipleship, it should be Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. A life that follows Christ is changed, which in turn, convinces people of Christ s power. Verse 24. 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Pastor Jeff ended last week s message talking about the faith it required for Jews to read Matthew s genealogy while considering 6
some of the less than savory characters within the genealogy, and believe Jesus is the Messiah. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. And praise God that He doesn t require us to have blind faith! Just like the prophecy that Joseph knew, God has revealed Himself more than enough so that our faith is based upon historical accuracy and common sense. That s more than can be said for the molecules to man evolution nonsense that is being taught to our children. It s sad for those who have never known the satisfaction of believing what God says about all of the good things He has created-and everything having its purpose! We must begin with God. Then we start to understand everything in its proper context. All things fit into shape and form when you begin with God! Outside and even inside Christian circles, there is an over-reliance on intellectual knowledge and accomplishment. There needs to be balance. Yes, respect the efforts and hours that go into academic progress, but always keep God's wisdom and God's commands in mind. You can search and study for a lifetime and only learn fragments of truth. But even the newest Christian believer has already learned many marvelous things at the center of truth. He or she has met and knows God! That is why we earnestly invite men and women to become converted, taking Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord! And that requires obedience. Turn with me to John chapter 14, starting in verse 15 to learn what choosing love has to do with obedience to Jesus. John chapter 14, verse 15... John 14:15-15 If you love me, keep my commands. Verse 21 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. Verses 23 and 24-23 Jesus replied, Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 7
If we love Jesus, we do what He says. If we don t do what He says, we don t truly love Him. Period. And that isn t just the red letters in the Bible or only the parts of passages that justify our own selfish behavior. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is from God. Both Old and New Testaments warn of adding to or subtracting from God s Word. Choosing obedience is choosing love and choosing obedience is choosing righteousness. Joseph was faced with making the seemingly right and self-serving choice of divorcing Mary, or making the righteous and loving choice of obeying God. Jesus was faced with those choices too. When satan tempted Jesus, Jesus chose loving and righteous obedience to the Father over selfish desires. Jesus demonstrated love and righteousness by washing His disciples feet instead of lording things over them and ordering them around. Jesus demonstrated loving obedience and righteousness by coming as a baby in humble circumstances and living as a human to experience life as we do, yet He never sinned. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross to offer forgiveness and salvation to all who follow Him. Being in very nature God, He could have rightly destroyed us all, which is what we deserve. Praise God for His grace and mercy! What love! In today s culture, the right choice and the righteous choice are often at odds with each other, too. If you aren t happy with your spouse and your life is miserable, the right and selfish choice is dropping them like the dead weight they 8
are and finding someone or something else that makes you happy. Or maybe just keep them but look for what is missing in your life in the arms of someone or something else. But the righteous and loving choice is toughing it out and growing together in your knowledge of the Bible and dedicating yourselves to serving and loving one another through good and bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part. If you re single and looking to mingle, the right and selfish choice might be to take someone who has a mutual attraction with you for a test drive or two in the bedroom and enjoy exploring your sexuality. The righteous and loving choice, however is keeping yourself pure and to be so deep into seeking Jesus that your potential mate will have to find Jesus first before they can find you and vice versa. The right and selfish choice might be to go out with your good-time friends and party until you puke. The righteous and loving choice is to behave as one walking in the light and to seek an escape from the troubles of this world through seeking Jesus and His Word with all your heart. The right and selfish choice, when somebody wrongs you is to make sure you do everything possible to get revenge. Maybe slander them on social media for a good dose of get-even. The righteous and loving choice is to love your neighbor as yourself and turn the other cheek. Go directly to that person, just you and them, face-to-face and work it out. Forgive as Jesus forgives. The right and self-serving choice, when we are feeling down and 9
needing comfort is to eat an entire pizza and wash it down with a quart of ice cream or a bottle or two of wine. The righteous and loving choice is to find comfort in the only One who can calm any storm, the Prince of Peace. The right choice when you see someone, especially those claiming to be Christians, engaging in openly sinful behavior is just to ignore it. Live and let live, right? The righteous and loving choice is to lovingly hold them accountable and point out the wages of sin and what God expects of them. The right and self-serving choice is to fit in at work, or school, or with your friends and join in with all the filthy language, dirty talk, and gossip. Everyone else does it, I don t want to stand out as a party pooper. The righteous and loving choice is to set an example as an ambassador of Christ by acting like Him. The right choice is to do whatever it takes to succeed and move up the ladder, no matter who you have to walk over or hurt to do it. Show some ambition, right? Control everything so you re not at the mercy of or have to depend on others. Happiness isn t brought about by controlling our circumstances but by controlling who we align ourselves with. The righteous and loving choice is to help others succeed while you work hard, honestly, and fairly to bring God glory in everything you do. 10
But we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, right? Indeed we do, but it isn t an excuse to sin. But if I pray and say a couple hail Mary s, God knows my heart, right?... Crossroads, prayer is not a substitute for obedience. There are tough choices to be made when trying to be obedient to God. And I wish I could give you a more relational and easy-to-understand way to make right choices. Taking thoughts captive, right in the moment of temptation and decision, and making them obedient to God requires practice and determination. Dietrich Bonhoffer was a pastor, theologian, and anti-nazi dissident whose determination to follow God and love others as he loved himself cost him his life at the hands of the Nazis. He said that being a Christian was less about cautiously avoiding sin and more about actively doing God s will. One personal example of choosing righteous over right happened to my wife and me this week. She picked me up and had backed out of a parking lot and was on the street in her lane getting ready to put it in drive. Just then, a van was backing out of a lot on the other side of the street. It slammed into her side and damaged the back half of the car. The police came to do a report, the other driver was cited and as the officer was taking pictures of the damage he noticed a sizable ding on the drivers door, away from most of the damage, and he asked if that was from the accident. Shari and I were the only ones there who knew that ding had been there awhile. The seemingly right and selfserving choice would be to say it was part of the accident. The 11
insurance already had to pony up for the wreck damage, why not throw that in, nobody would know, right? I told the officer the damage was already there and joked that I could easily have said it wasn t. He said that I was the only one who would know that and I said, no, God knows it too. I invited him to come to church with me and he shared how his mother was urging him to look for a church as he was new to the area. He said he has to work on Sundays and I proceeded to tell him other opportunities at church. I invite you to pray with me that his schedule changes so he can attend church. I m excited to see how God will use that small choice of obedience. As we come to a time of closing, this is a popular time of year to consider New Year s resolutions. A resolution is defined as a firm determination to do something. Now and in the years to come, let us resolve to be obedient to Jesus and not merely read His Word, but to do what it says. This is a clear and biblical way to demonstrate our love for Jesus. Because of who He is, and the love He has lavished on us, He deserves all of our obedience, love, and adoration. O Come Let Us Adore Him! O Come Let Us Adore Him! O Come Let Us Adore Him! Christ the Lord!! Let s pray... Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us Lord I pray that you would soften and convict hearts to surrender completely to Jesus Christ and to love Him through keeping his commandments. Thank you for your promises. Help us to choose what is righteous over what is right according to man. Thank You Jesus for dying for our sin. Help us to 12
love one another as you have loved us. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. WHITE CARDS If you feel a pull of the Holy Spirit on your heart, in your bulletin, you will find a perforated white card. If you have questions, need prayer, are new, or would like to commit or recommit your life to Jesus, fill out the card and drop it in the offering bags when they come around or give it to me after service. Pastor Jeff or one of the staff or elders will contact you at your convenience to help you any way we can, so please fill those out... COMMUNION As we come to our time of communion, I urge us, to examine ourselves and remember what Jesus did for us and that God considers obedience to His word as love for Him. The ushers will come forward with the plates momentarily and then our junior deacons will come forward to collect your empty cups. As we pray, let us remember what a truly incomparable gift we have been given by God and respond with loving obedience to Him. Let s pray; Father God, thank you for sending your son to die in our place, to take our sin and the sin of the world upon himself, His body broken and bleeding.. all for us, each one of us. Help us to remember that and make righteous choices. As we partake, may it strengthen and renew our resolve to choose love this Christmas season and always. We love you and thank you for your faithfulness.. In Jesus name, Amen OFFERING ANNOUNCEMENTS Jan 7 th newbies class, marriage study. PRAY: Father, help us to drop our desire to be self serving and instead to pursue loving and serving you and others. Thank you for Jesus. Help us to give You glory in everything we do, say, and think, 13
in Jesus name, Amen. 14