Westtown Church
Westtown Church
The Birth of Jesus Christ
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Jesus and Immanuel the two names that told Joseph everything he needed to know about Christ. They tell us about who God is and the salvation we have in him.
The Introduction of Jesus in Matthew
Speaker 1Good morning . It's great to be with you . I'm Aldo . I have a concern that I should share with you , probably right away . I'm a little worried that Corey's introduction made me sound a little bit like Moses and therefore your expectations might be tad high . So I just would ask if , collectively , we could lower those slightly . That would be wonderful . Low expectations make good preaching . Thank you to the two people right here who think that's really funny . I appreciate you . This is all . My jokes are just narrowing it down , narrowing it down until one person is like man that had everything . So thank you for that .
Speaker 1We're in a series in Matthew , chapter 1 . Well , I guess it's in the opening chapters of Matthew , god of Wonders , and today we're focusing on Matthew , chapter 1 , verses 18 through 25 . And before we dive into that , I just wanted to say a huge thank you . I'm Aldo . I'm the campus minister for RUF at the University of South Florida , as you heard earlier , where we're working with college students to reach Students for Christ and equip them to serve . I just wanted to say , starting off , a big thank you to this church , kind of . As my records go back , this church has given almost $35,000 to RUF over the years to help us reach Students for Christ on the campus of USF . We literally would not be here if it weren't for your faithfulness and your generosity . So I just wanted to say one just thank you so much for the way that you've partnered with us , the way that you continue to support us , the way that you reach out and care for us . It does mean a lot to us and we are very grateful for you . I now invite you to stand for the reading of God's Word . We're going to be reading Matthew , chapter 1 . We're going to be looking at verses 18 through 25 . Matthew 1 , verses 18 through 25 .
Speaker 1Now , the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way when his mother , mary , had been betrothed to Joseph , before they came together , she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit and her husband , joseph , being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame , resolved to divorce her quietly . But as he considered these things , behold , an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying Joseph , son of David , do not fear to take Mary as your wife , for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit . She will bear a son , and you shall call his name Jesus , for he will save his people from their sins . All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet . Behold , the virgin shall conceive and bear a son , and they shall call his name Emmanuel , which means God with us .
Speaker 1When Joseph woke from sleep , he died as the or . He did . He didn't die , it's okay . Don't panic . Spoiler alert . He's okay . He did as the angel of the Lord commanded him . He took his wife , but knew her not until she had given birth to a son , and he called his name Jesus .
Speaker 1This is God's word . It's given to you in love . Let's go to him in prayer . Almighty God , we come to you as needy people . We need you to send your spirit . We need you to open our eyes that we might see you afresh . Open our ears that we might hear you . Open our hearts that we might love you and open our lips that we might praise you . Would you do that , lord , for our sake and for your glory ? It's in Christ's name that we pray . Amen , amen . You can be seated . You're very obedient people . I really appreciate that . Stayed standing the whole time until I told you it's great .
Speaker 1One of the things that's dangerous about an Advent sermon series . It's dangerous for both preachers and for hearers is that as we approach this story it's easy for it to kind of sound a little bit trite and familiar . It's easy for it to be , you know , wonderful Christmas carols and desserts . I love desserts , as you can probably tell . There they are again , thank you . More people in the first service laughed at that joke than this one . That's okay , just feeling out the audience a little bit . But it's easy to kind of fall into these rote traps of Jesus , the cute baby in the manger , the cuddly Jesus that we're all very familiar with . And if we're not careful , this story about Jesus coming into the world begins to sound a little bit dull , it begins to kind of lose its luster . It doesn't shock , it doesn't move us , it doesn't transform us , it doesn't call us to something deeper , it just kind of sits on the surface as oh yes , I've heard that all before we're not careful , we can dilute the monumental claim that Matthew is making here in the Gospels . We can lose sight of what was earth-shattering , of what rocked the world of those early Christians , of what was world-transforming , of what in Acts they said those men who have turned the world upside down have come here . And if we're not careful , it just becomes another story , another thing , and we move on with our life never being really truly transformed .
Speaker 1There's a need , I think , in every Advent season , to be reintroduced to Jesus , to see him afresh , to see him anew , to come and behold him , as the great hymn says , to come into the manger , to see him once again , to wonder and to be marveled by what God has done . That's the series , god of Wonders , to see the wonder of what God has done and to be caught up once again , to reintroduce ourselves to Jesus . So , as we come to this section , the question is what does Matthew want you to know as he introduces Christ ? What is the thing that Matthew thinks is of supreme importance to introduce you to Jesus ? I want to give you three things . First is lineage , then his mission and his identity . His lineage , his mission and his identity . His lineage you can see in verse 20 , verse 20, . But as he considered these things , behold , an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream , saying Joseph , son of David , do not fear to take Mary as your wife , for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit . Notice how the angel addresses Joseph . Joseph , son of David .
Speaker 1I mentioned last week that there were 400 years of silence , 600 years without a king , and , as we heard earlier , god had always promised a king . Second Samuel 7 , god had promised that a king would rule on the throne of Israel throughout all time , that one of David's sons would always sit on the throne of Israel . He had reaffirmed that promise over and over again . And Jeremiah 23 , verses 5 to 6 , behold , the days are coming , declares the Lord , when I will raise up for David a righteous branch , and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land . In his days , judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely . Promises made , promises over and over again that God would come .
Speaker 1And yet , if you had been there in the early first century , we're quite familiar with the Pharisees and the Sadducees , all these religious leaders , the people that don't often make it into our Bibles or are maybe more in the background , are a good majority of people in first century Israel who had just simply given up 400 years of silence , 600 years without a king . They had been praying , they had been waiting , they had been longing , they had been looking , and , over and over again , kings had come and kings had gone and things hadn't gotten any better . Things had simply gotten worse . They had waited long and they just decided that maybe God had left , or God had forgotten , or God had given up , or God had gone somewhere else . But whatever had happened , god wasn't really worth following anymore because he had given up on them that God's promises were null and void , that maybe their sin was just simply too much , that maybe God had moved on to another people , that maybe he was busy doing something else . But whatever it was , they had given up and assumed that God had left them and it wasn't worth it anymore . They'd waited too long . Things had gotten too bad . They were disillusioned , devastated , disenchanted .
Finding Hope in God's Faithfulness
Speaker 1You ever been there before ? You've been praying for something for years . You've got a sin you just can't shake . You've got a loved one , a son or a daughter , who's walked away from the faith . You're suffering terribly and you don't know why You're crying out . How long , oh Lord ? How long until you come , how long until you're going to come back ?
Speaker 1I know your promises are true , but when are you going to show up ? And for a while it's like okay , maybe God is teaching me something , maybe God is at work in some way . And then , after a while , you're like how many lessons do I need to learn ? What is it that you're teaching me , lord ? How long is this going to go on ? You start to wonder . You would never say it out loud , but you start to wonder is God really there ? Does he really see ? Does he really notice ? Lord , are you ever going to come back and make things right ? Do you still see me ? Are you still listening ?
Speaker 1I've been praying , I've been crying out to you and over and over and over again , years after year , and you don't seem to answer . Where are you ? What's our confidence in the midst of that ? It's the same confidence that Joseph found when this angel came to him and said son of David , what a comfort that must have been to Joseph that God had not forgotten his covenant . Think about this with me for a moment that 400 years of silence , 600 years without a king , but God was tracing the lineage of David for 600 years . That , in the fullness of time , he might send his son . That God had not forgotten his promise , far from it . That God was waiting for the right moment to show up to send his son . That God had not forgotten his promise , far from it . That God was waiting for the right moment to show up to bring his son , son of David , is a reminder that God is a covenant-keeping God , that he remembers , that he doesn't forget , that in the midst of suffering , in the midst of chaos , in the midst of difficulty , in the midst of all of our prayers that seem to go unanswered , god is faithful , that he listens , that he hears , that God has not forgotten his covenant to his people , that he will come to them again . That's our confidence too , that in the midst of these trials and tragedies , that in the midst of difficulties and circumstances where we wonder how long , oh Lord , until you come and make all things right , god has not forgotten us , he's not forgotten his people , he's not forgotten you and me , he's not indifferent to our sufferings . It's not that he's forgotten , it's not that he doesn't see that God is faithful to his promises and he is coming back .
Speaker 1There's an old Puritan by the name of Richard Baxter , and he wrote a book called the Saint's Everlasting Rest . He was wounded . The book is about heaven . He was wounded in battle during the English Civil War and he thought for a while that he was going to die , that the wound was bad enough that eventually he was going to pass away , and so he started to write down his funeral sermon that he wanted preached . He was a pastor and he said to his friends this is what I want you to preach at my funeral . Could you imagine that writing your own funeral sermon ? But he eventually recovered and he published the sermon , along with an expanded thoughts , in a book called the Saint's Everlasting Rest .
Speaker 1Here's what he says . He's talking about this feeling of being left alone , he says . Will he leave us sinning , groaning , dying daily and come to us ? No more , never fear , it cannot be . That would be like how we deal with Christ . When we feel ourselves warm and comfortable in the world , we hardly care about coming to him , isn't that true ? But this is not like Christ dealing with us . Where else could we place all of our hopes ? What would become of our faith , our prayers , our tears and our waiting ? Do you really think that he who will , after all this , forget us and forsake us , far be such a thought from our hearts ? Notice what he's saying . That would be like how we deal with Christ .
Speaker 1Very often , it's very easy to get caught up in the things of life and not think anything about Jesus . Go days , weeks , months , not really think anything , just kind of going through the motions coming up to Advent , thinking about what Christmas is going to be and then their plans for the new year and not really thinking anything about Christ . But that doesn't mean Christ doesn't think about you . Son of David is a reminder that God has his eye on his people , that he remembers his covenant with them , that he's a covenant keeping God and that he will be with them and he will come back . That's good news for us . That is his lineage , that he is the promised one that God would send . That is his lineage that he is the promised one that God would send . Secondly , his mission . We can look at verse 21 . She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus , for he will save his people from their sins . You shall call his name Jesus , for he will save his people from their sins .
Speaker 1For what purpose is God coming into the world ? I mean you might think of all sorts of reasons that God might show up , like why is God coming ? What is he doing ? What's he up to ? Why does he want to come into the world ? Is he going to come and straighten out the kingdoms ? Is he going to come and get the tax system straight ? What's he going to do ? Here's what he's going to do , here's his mission to save his people from their sins . This is what God is coming into the world to do .
Speaker 1Jc Ryle , the old Bishop of Liverpool , said it this way . He said from sorrow , cross and conflict they are not saved , but they are saved from sin forevermore . They are cleansed from guilt by Christ's blood . They are made for heaven by Christ's spirit . This is salvation . Jesus is a very encouraging name to heavy laden sinners . He who is King of kings and Lord of lords might lawfully have taken some more high sounding title , but he did not do so . The rulers of this world had often called themselves great or conqueror , bold or magnificent and the like .
Speaker 1The son of God was content to call himself savior . Son of God was content to call himself savior John . In John's gospel he says it this way God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world , but to save the world , though the world was worthy of condemnation . Though he could have come and judged us , though he could have come and said all of your sins , here is the judgment , and he would have been right . And just to do so , god could have sent his son to say that's it , judgment has arrived . God could have done that , but God didn't do that . God sent his son into the world to save the world , that all who believe in him might not perish but have everlasting life .
Speaker 1Can I ask you a question ? How do you hear that this morning ? How do you hear that this morning ? How do you hear that this morning ? Do you think that sin is the most important thing that God should solve in your life ? When you hear that God is coming into the world , what in your mental checklist do you think you know would be really great if he would sort these things out . It'd be really good if he would fix this . See first century Israel . They had their list too . That he would kick the Romans out , that he would reestablish the kingdom , that we would be independent , we could rule ourselves , we wouldn't have the Romans and their taxation and all the oppression . We wouldn't have that anymore . What must it have been to come and to hear you shall call his name Jesus . It's like Joshua , the great deliverer of God's people , and he's gonna . What's he gonna do ? He's gonna save his people from their sins . He's gonna save his people from their sins .
Speaker 1I work with college students and the number one thing that college students normally want me to tell them their biggest question is they want to know what's God's will for their life . What is God's will for my life ? And normally when they're asking that question , it's normally who am I going to marry , what career will I have ? And what med school will I get into ? Where is that going to work out ? Am I going to go to UF ? Am I going to go here , like , where am I going to go ? What's God's
The Ultimate Deliverance
Speaker 1will ?
Speaker 1And so normally in that kind of conversation , I normally bring them to John chapter six . And here's what Jesus says in John chapter six For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will , but the will of him who sent me . And this is the will of him who sent me . This is God's will . If you ever wanted to know what God's will is , here you go . This is it from Jesus' own lips that I should lose nothing of all that he's given me , but raise it up on the last day , for this is the will of my father that everyone who looks on the son and believes in him should have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day . And normally I get done with that and I'll tell you the truth , they're normally pretty disappointed with that answer .
Speaker 1They were hoping for something a little more tangible . Yeah , yeah , yeah , sin , right , okay , yeah , of course , but like , what about the really important things ? What about the big things ? What's on your list ? I think the problem is that you and I have become so habituated , so familiar with , so accustomed to sin , that when we hear that God is going to save us from our sins , we think yeah , but what else ? We think yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah , but like , what else is he going to do ? Right , like , isn't he going to do something ? I thought he was going to show up and do something really big . See , god seems to think that the biggest problem that you and I have , the most damaging thing in our lives , the worst thing that can happen to us , is for us to be lost in our sin . Here's the question I have for you this morning Do you agree with God's assessment ? Here's the question I have for you this morning Do you agree with God's assessment ? Are you looking for Jesus to be savior or do you think there are some other things in your life that are a little bit more important ?
Speaker 1John's gospel he says it this way he came to his own , but his own did not receive him . He came to his own . They had their list of things that Messiah should do and that Messiah should look like . He came to them , but they did not receive him . They did not listen to him because he didn't look like how they thought he should look . May it never be said of us that he came to us and we did not receive him . May it never be said that he came to USF but we did not receive him . May it never be said that he came to Tampa but we didn't receive him . May it never be said that he came to Westtown but we didn't receive him , because we didn't like what he was selling . We wanted something different , we wanted something better . He came to his own and his own did not receive him . But to all who did receive him , who believed on his name , he gave them the right to become sons of God , friends .
Speaker 1That's good news for us this morning , because , whether you know it or not , whether you believe it or not , the worst thing happening in your life is sin . The most destructive thing happening in your life is sin . The thing that you most need is a Savior . Do you believe that this morning ? Do you believe God ? Will you receive Him as he is ? Will you be reintroduced to this Jesus , and will you receive Him as he is , or are you looking for someone else ? I love in . I think it's in John's gospel , maybe it's in Luke . Someone Google it and let me know after the service .
Speaker 1But John's disciples come . John the Baptist's disciples come to Jesus and they ask this question . They say are you the one or should we look for someone else ? Are you the one or should we look for someone else ? Are you the one or should we look for someone else ? Friends , this is the one . Don't look for anyone else . This is the one . This is God's ultimate deliverance . This is the way that God has chosen to reveal himself , and this is the one whom God has sent .
Speaker 1And this is what he's come to do . This is his mission . Will you receive him ? Will you believe on his name ? Will you receive him as savior ? That's his mission . What about his identity ?
Speaker 1Verse 23 , behold , the virgin shall conceive and bear a son , and they shall call his name , emmanuel , which means God with us . Emmanuel , god with us . Notice the identity of Jesus he is with us . It's a beautiful picture that Jesus entered into Israel's story , that he entered into the experiences of his people , that God is not distant or aloof , but he enters into the story of his people . He's a God who's able to empathize . He is one who took on flesh and even to this day he's at God's right hand and he retains human flesh . He is with us . He knows what it's like to be you . He's able to empathize with you .
Speaker 1I don't know if you've ever noticed this in the Gospels , but it's interesting . I lost my father when I was in college and I remember seeing this . I don't know where I heard it , but someone pointed this out to me and it's quite interesting . We see in these early chapters the birth of Jesus told from his father , earthly father Joseph's perspective . But if you look through the rest of the gospels , joseph really never shows up again until after Jesus is received in the temple when he's young . After that , joseph never really shows up again .
Speaker 1When Jesus comes into his ministry , mary's around all the time . You know Mary's at the wedding at Cana , mary's at the cross . He's with them and his mother and his brothers are coming to him and saying you know what are you doing ? You're starting to embarrass us a little bit . And he goes to the cross and he looks at John and says John , take care of my mom . I wondered like , well , where's Joseph ? Shouldn't he be taking care of your mom ? Well , where's Joseph ? Shouldn't he be taking care of your mom ? It's very likely . Most scholars believe that Joseph probably died before Jesus reached his ministry .
Speaker 1He's God with us . The Son of God came and he endured the mundane , the difficult and the tragic , even the death of a parent , to be Emmanuel , god with us , who could know what it's like to suffer . That's who he is . He's a God who's able to empathize . He knows what it's like , but he's not simply one who is with us , but he's also God with us . It is wonderful , when you are in the midst of something difficult or hard , to know that there are people who are there with us , but he's also God with us . It is wonderful , when you are in the midst of something difficult or hard , to know that there are people who are there with you , to know that you're not alone . It's powerful In the midst of difficulty and trial and all sorts of circumstances . It is wonderful to have people who are with you , who are beside you , who can say you're not alone in this , I'm with you . But what is even greater is not just having someone who is with you , but someone who can help , someone who can transform , someone who can save . This is what Jesus is doing . He is not just with us , but he's God with us .
Speaker 1One commentator he says this . For this reason , matthew reveals that Jesus is from the line of David , but not from the flesh of David . The promises to David's line showed that Israel needed a mighty deliverer , a great and fearless king , a warrior to battle foes and a man who loved God and his people more than life itself . Yet the history of Israel had been a sad tale of failed king followed by failed king . Human flesh couldn't deliver God's people . They needed something different . Israel's history had been failed king after failed king , disappointment after disappointment , failed scheme after failed scheme .
Speaker 1I love the passage in Isaiah where he cries out Isaiah has reached the ultimate point of his ministry , where everything has fallen apart . I mean , wouldn't you have loved to have been a prophet ? This is your ministry . Hey , go tell everyone . Everything's falling apart and there's nothing you can do to fix it . Good luck .
Speaker 1And Isaiah , in the middle of Isaiah , he says this he has this prayer . He says , oh Lord , that you would rend the heavens and that you would come down . Isaiah has been through kings . He's seen kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall . And he says , oh Lord , all of our plans , all of our schemes , all of our ideas , all of our kingdoms , all of that is nothing . We can't fix this . We have so messed this up . There is no help for us at all . The only hope that we have is that you would come down and that you would save us , that you would rescue us . We don't need another plan , we don't need another idea , we don't need another king . We don't need any of that . What we need is you , because we can't save ourselves . Oh , that you would run the heavens and come down . Matthew says that in Jesus , god has rent the heavens and come down , that God himself has shown up to rescue his people . It's not just self-help , not just another good idea , not just a get-rich-quick scheme . No , god has come , he is with us and he is able to save , he is able to rescue and , finally , he's the one who must be dealt with .
Speaker 1This promise that the virgin shall conceive and bear a son they should call his name Emmanuel , comes from Isaiah , chapter 7 . In Isaiah , chapter 7 , it's a promise of God's presence with his people . Isaiah comes to King Ahaz . Ahaz is a rebellious king and he says listen , you are being attacked by the Assyrians . By the way , just as a fun fact , if there were some people that you didn't want to be attacked by in the Old Testament , it's the Assyrians . Google it or don't , but just trust me on this Assyrians , really bad guys . You're being attacked by the Assyrians . If you would but turn and repent , if you would just go and follow the Lord , here's the sign that he would give to you A virgin will conceive and she will bear a son , and he will deliver you and he will save you . If you would just listen . But Ahaz doesn't listen . And then so in Isaiah , chapter 8 , god sends Isaiah back .
Speaker 1And here's Isaiah's message . He says this because this people has refused the waters of Shiloh that flow gently . Therefore , the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the river mighty and many , the king of Assyria in all his glory , and it will rise over all its channels and it will go over all its banks and it will sweep on into Judah . It will overflow and pass on , reaching even to the neck , and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land . Oh , emmanuel , what Isaiah is saying is that God is a God who must be dealt with .
Embracing God's Call to Listen
Speaker 1What Isaiah is saying is that God is a God who must be dealt with , that in Jesus , god steps into human history and he is a God who must be dealt with . You can't just put him off to the side and say , oh , that's not for me , or maybe later on I'll get to that . He's a God who demands attention . He's a God who demands our response . God who demands attention , he's a God who demands our response . And the question is which , emmanuel will you get ? He is with us . Will you listen to him ? Will you repent ? Will you turn to him ? Will you receive him as gentle and lowly of heart and find rest for your soul , or will you continue to go your own way ? Will you listen to him ?
Speaker 1I love , in Mark's gospel I believe it's in chapter nine Jesus shows up and he takes the disciples up to his transfiguration . He says to them you know , come with me , I'm going to show you something . And he's transfigured and the heavens tear open and they hear the voice of God . Oh , it's God's voice . What is he going to say ? You know , have you ever thought that if you could hear God's voice , what would he say ? Here's what he says this is my beloved son . Listen to him . Listen to him , friends . Will you listen to him ? Will you listen to his voice ? Will you call upon him and find him gentle and lowly of heart ? Come and find rest for your souls . Listen to him . This is the call to us this morning . It's the call to us each and every day to listen to him , to turn to Him and to find Him as Emmanuel , god with us . That's good news for us this morning that God has entered into history . He's not abandoned His people . He's come to save and to rescue . Let's ask Him for His help to follow Him .