Sunday Sermon: Saviour, God With Us

Hymns

Come thou long-expected Jesus

Joy to the world

It came upon the midnight clear

As with gladness men of old

O come, o come Emmanuel

Ere zij God (Glory to God)

The first Noel

Hymns in italics are linked to posts talking about the history or the author of the hymn.

 

 

 Scripture : 

 Matthew 1:18-25
¹⁸ Now 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. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Sermon notes:

Christmas can be a lonely time of year when many suffer from the blues.

People are cut off from each other.

Our sin has cut us off from God   we have been alienated from God by the wrong that we do.

But Christ came, he was sent to break that alienation.

"The Genesis of Jesus happened in this way....."

It speaks to the origins of Jesus,  the start of the Lord's work on earth.

Mary and Joseph,  most likely an arranged marriage.   Engagements in those days were like being married.   To stop an engagement you needed a certificate of divorce. 

So it was no little thing for Joseph to contemplate setting her aside.  He liked Mary, he wanted to marry her  but pregnancy before marriage was wrong and he knew it was not his.   So in caring for her, he resolved not to make this news public, and to let her go quietly.

Joseph needed to deal with all this on his own.

God intervened though.
 Telling Joseph to fear not taking Mary to be his wife.
 Telling Joseph that it was God working in her,  not Mary being unfaithful.
 He also called him son of David, reminding him of who he was....a man from David's line.
Telling Joseph what the baby's name was to be, and why it was to be that.

He would save his people from their sins.

The bible is clear...throughout the whole bible.  Only God can save people from their sins.

So Joseph knew that this baby was a special baby, one who was of God.

God spoke directly into Josephs life, a life of obedience and glory to God.

God will do this with all those who are his own.  Speaking directly into our lives.  Even if we don't always see it or feel it.  He never ever leaves us on our own and speaks into our lives.

Emmanuel....God with us.