Matthew 1:18-25 An Amazing Couple

So we meet this young couple – V.22 all this was done that it might be fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

Immanuel = God with us

Now they were told to name Him – Jesus = Savior

He would be called – Immanuel –

Jesus is what He does – Saves His pp from their sins

Immanuel is what He is – GOD WITH US!

BORN OF A VIRGIN:

A) Genesis 3 Thru the seed of the woman –a Messiah would come – women don’t carry seed { Egg

B) Sign Isa 7:14 A virgin shall conceive – that is a sign – Not a sign if a young girl

C) Importance of the virgin Birth

In order for Christ to be our Savior, three conditions must be met:

1) He must be a man. An angel could not die for our sins. He must truly share our humanity.

2) He must be an infinite man. A mere mortal could not bear the infinite price that must be paid for our sins.

3) He must be an innocent man. A sinner could not die for the sins of others.

The Virgin Birth guarantees that our Lord fulfills all three conditions.

Because he is born of Mary, he is fully human.

Because He is conceived by the Holy Spirit, He is fully God.

Because He is born holy, He is sinless in thought, word and deed.

Thus He is fully qualified to be our Savior.

CONSIDER MARY:

A) She was from Nazareth – Pit stop kind of place

B) Stopover for Roman soldiers –known for brothels and drunkenness

C) Question can anything good come out of NAZ

1) It had a reputation for being a bad place.

Not a place you would have picked if you were God to have your son born into the world.

A) Unlikely place for the Son of God to grow up

B) Mary is just a young girl – she is 13-15 yrs old

Betrothed to be married

C) In those days Marriages were by arrangement

D)Today we fall in love first get married afterwards

1)Those days- Married – then fall in love

Arranged when you were young – if your husband grew up to being Frankenstien – nothing you could do about it

A)So Mary and Joseph were betrothed to be married and a year before the wedding – espousal period

B) During that year they were never alone together – always Shaperones

C) During that year – Man – build a house

1) John 14 – Image Jesus paints

Now Joseph we know was a Carpenter – Extra special – little touches – impress Mary

A) Getting excited – getting closer

B) Mary would get reports on the house

C) Day of the wedding came –Groom could come at any time –

1) Oil in lamps ready – Matthew 25

D) Groomsmen would blow trumpets behold the bridegroom cometh – great imagery of coming of Christ

Now if a woman was found pregnant during that time of Espousal – considered adultery

A) She could be stoned to death –

B) Very least – Divorced – the Espousal was so legal and binding – only way part – Divorce

1) On the grounds of adultery

C) Mary and Joseph are in that period of Espousal

V.19 Joseph is called her husband

Mary is at a time in her life that most Hebrew girls longed for.

A) Today: What do you want to be- the Sky is the Limit – Fire fighter / Doctor / Lawyer

B) Those days a girl’s dream was to be a wife and mother –

1) Mary is close to seeing that dream come true

C) God interrupts that- You have been Chosen to give birth to the Messiah

This must have been a bittersweet thing: What an honor – Angelic Messenger – Great Revelation

A) But who would believe her – what would Joseph say – her parents / his parents – her friends /his

B) Would pp understand – did she realize that her life would be forever altered – forever changed

1) Picture reaction – young girl in the youth group suddenly pregnant – God did it !

C) Mary responds – v.38 of Luke 1 by calling herself the handmaiden of the Lord

1) Lowest possible place in the house – Slave girl is the idea

D) Glimpse into the heart of this young – girl{ I am the Lord’s servant

But consider the remarkable cost it would mean to her to say this:

A) It might cost us to say: Christ is in our hearts

B) Great cost to her to say: Christ is in my womb

C) She would have to go to Joseph – what would that conversation be like

1) I am pregnant and the Father is God –

2) Good news – I am still a virgin

D) She would live her whole life with this stigma of being an unfaithful wife

1) Jesus was constantly being accused of being an illegitimate Child

Amazing Young girl

A) From God’s perspective – she was Highly favored among women

B) A very interesting Phrase = greatly graced

C) The phrase is used in only one other place in the NT Ephesians 1:6 “To the praise of the glory of His grace whereby He has made us accepted in the Beloved

D) Made us accepted in the Beloved is this same phrase – Highly favored

1) Our place now in Christ

Mary Highly favored AMONG WOMEN

A) Not above – not a co- redeemer – but great girl

B) After she tells Joseph she goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth – John leaps in Elizabeth –

1)Elizabeth declares –how is it that the mother of my Lord has come to visit me

Bb) Mary breaks forth into the Magnificat - - Beautiful Hebrew song of poetry – about Messiah

C) Filled with lines from the Bible –

1) But Mary wouldn’t have owned a Bible

D) Expensive scrolls- kept in the Synagogues

1) She has put Scripture to song – and it is pouring out of her

E) She is this amazing young girl – Youth group stand out – Pure

1) Last girl you would ever think would end up pregnant

Now you have to imagine how this must have crushed Joseph

A) Mary was an exceptional young girl

B) Joseph must have thought – Blessed – GREAT CATCH – good job dad –picked a winner

C) No problem introducing her as his better ½

D) He had fallen for Mary long before and was looking forward to a rich life with her

1) Blessed life

E) He was putting his heart into building that house – making things just right – motivated by love

1) Appreciative of God for the blessing

And then this: Did he throw down his hammer

A) Ask –who is – he – David saw how he looks at you

B) Now we have every indication that Joseph really loved Mary

1)) Actually sought sorry for her – maybe thought something snapped

C)V.19 Put her away quietly – make it as painless as possible { Not a target – Divorce her quietly

A) What would be your reaction if someone really broke your heart – stabbed you in the back

B) If you are like me – Emotions –Vengeance to Martyrdom – I will let others know just how mean they have to me ….

C) Mary gets a lot of press and Joseph is sometimes forgotten but what a great guy

What an example Joseph is instead of retaliating – instead of striking back at the one who hurt him more deeply than anyone could hurt him

A) Joseph shows us the kind of man he was by seeking to settle this quietly

B) It makes sense to me that God the Father would Choose this man to be the Custodian, the Guardian of His Son.

C) He would take her to be his wife- but wouldn’t know her sexually until after the baby was born

1) Further adding to the Stigma – that this was his Baby –

D) Disgraced his name / his family/ her family

1) Not an easy thing they had to deal with much different from today

Interesting to think that the only human resemblance that Jesus had – was that of Mary

A) No one knew what His father looked like!

B) Interesting because – Isa tells us that there was nothing attractive about Jesus outwardly

1) Nothing that make us desire him – Not GQ

2) Peoples 50 most Beautiful

C) Nothing special- Mary outwardly nothing special

Inwardly – very special

D) 1 Peter 3:3-4

3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

E) Mary had those qualities

Amazing young couple:

A) What are you doing at 14,15,16,17

B) What about at 30,40,50 ?

C) If God came to you tonight and said – I have special plan for your life –

1) Upset your dreams for me to carry it out

D) How would you respond ? Like Mary – let it be according to your servant

E) I will go I will suffer reproach – to be your servant – to be your vessel

1) I will put my dreams aside to fulfill your plan

F) Knowing that Your plan is best for me

1) Might not see now but in eternity

Or Maybe like Joseph you are here tonight you have born a great reproach or agony or betrayal

A) You have been wronged very deep

B) Person you thought was a great friend – person you trusted has hurt you deeply

C) Can you tonight seek the Lord’s help to be like Joseph and settle it quietly

1) Put it to rest

D) That is what the Lord considers a good and Just and upright man

E) What an amazing couple – and example and Challenge for us to consider tonight