Joseph Receives a Wake-Up Call!
December 15, 2024
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25
A sign seen on a businessman’s desk said this: My Decision is Maybe…and That is Final. Decision making can be very difficult at times. Often, we try to avoid or say maybe in making hard decisions. Whether it is choosing where to go for dinner or deciding on a major life change, there inevitably comes a time when we need to decide. In our text today, we learn that Joseph had to make a difficult decision. Today, I want to focus on Joseph and how God worked in his decision-making. So, let’s look.
The first part of Matthew 1:18 states, This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about.
Matthew again declares Jesus is the Messiah. If you recall Matthew started his gospel with the statement, This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham. Then Matthew gave the genealogy of Jesus tracing his ancestors through Abraham and David. This was to fulfill the prophecy that Jesus would be a descendant of David and Abraham.
Verse 18 continues, 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.
Mary, the mother of the Messiah, was pledged to be married to Joseph. Everything was going great until Mary tells Joseph that she was pregnant. Scripture does not indicate when she told Joseph after she got pregnant.
In Luke 1:26-38, we learn that the angel Gabriel came to Mary. The angel said to her in verses 30 and following, Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Now let me note this. A theological reason to believe in the immaculate conception of Jesus is because God’s Son had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to all other human beings. Because Jesus was born of a woman, he was a human being; but he was conceived through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was born without a sinful nature. If Jesus was going to save his people from their sins, then he would have to live a sinless life to meet God’s standard of holiness.
In Luke 1:36, the angel Gabriel tells Mary that even her relative Elizabeth, possibly an aunt, is going to have a child. Mary responded to the angel as she says in verse 38, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Mary most likely went to see Elizabeth to see if what the angel said was true. Luke 1:39-42 states, At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
Mary had confirmation from Aunt Elizabeth that she was supernaturally pregnant as the angel had told her. Sometime, most likely after Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist, Mary went back home.
Mary at that point in time would have been in her fourth month of pregnancy. Mary returned home to Nazareth. Her pregnancy will soon become public knowledge.
Imagine how concerned the situation was for her! She knew that according to God’s Law, a woman who is engaged to a man but who willingly has sexual relations with another man is to be stoned to death. (Deuteronomy 22:23, 24) Hence, even though Mary has not been immoral, she probably wonders both how she can explain her pregnancy to Joseph and what will happen.
When they met, Mary likely told him of her condition, doing her best to explain her pregnancy. I imagine Mary coming up to Joseph and saying something like this. I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is I'm pregnant even though we're not married yet. The good news is I have not been with anybody else. An angel came to me and said, 'Hail Mary, full of grace.' You are going to conceive a child by the Holy Spirit. I am carrying the Messiah—who both of us have been looking for his coming. You and I are to be Messiah’s earthly parents. Believe me it was not me. It was God.
Yet, as you can imagine, this would have been a very difficult thing for Joseph to understand and to believe. Mary was going to have a baby, and whoever the father was, Joseph, knew that it was not him. The trust gauge was broken. So, Joseph had a problem. He had to decide what he was going to do.
Verse 19 says, 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.
Joseph was faithful to the law, a righteous man. He was a man who had a heart for God. He loved the Lord with all his might. He strived to obey the law. As a righteous, just man, he desired to do the right thing!
Whether he believed Mary’s story or not, others would definitely not believe it, and he would live with gossip about an unfaithful wife for the rest of his life.
Joseph had a choice to make. Either he could divorce her publicly, divorce her quietly, or marry her. As he struggled with this decision, he also probably considered how much she protested to him about her innocence. She seemed to be sincere. Plus, she was not the type of girl to mess around and there were no real suspects who violated her.
He must have agonized over his decision for days. I am confident he prayed for wisdom to do the right thing. Even though he wanted to believe her, how could this be: an angel? a virgin birth? No way. He loved Mary, but her getting pregnant by another man was too much.
Joseph initially makes the decision to quietly divorce her. He would ask the rabbi for a quiet divorce. That way he could minimize her suffering but maintain his status as a righteous man.
Then Joseph gets a wake-up call from an angel of the Lord in a dream. Verse 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.
The angel called Joseph, son of David, signified that Joseph had a special role! Joseph, as his legal father, would establish the royal line of David.
The first words from the angel in the story of Mary and Joseph are do not be afraid. The angel instructs Joseph not to be afraid and to take Mary as his wife. Why would Joseph be afraid to wed Mary? It might have been Joseph would be afraid of offending God by violating His law. It was probably a fear of losing his reputation, afraid of what everybody would think about him. He knew that if he married her, his friends would never accept his account of what happened. He would not be invited to their homes, he would not be given their business, and he would never again be admired and respected as a lover of the Torah. He most likely had a fear of the unknown, what was going to happen?
Then at the end of verse 20, the angel informs Joseph that what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. God himself had caused this pregnancy, and the child would be very special. This is the same thing Mary told him.
What Mary and Joseph teach us is how to be faithful despite our fear. They did not let fear dictate their faith. That is why Mary was able to say, “I am the Lord’s Servant may it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38) Mary knew it was not going to be easy. Yet, she did not look at her circumstances; rather she looked at the One who had control over her circumstances.
Joseph also was afraid. He was afraid of taking Mary as his wife. Yet, the angel told him do not let fear dictate your decision making.
Principle 1: Do not be afraid. Do not allow fear to dictate your decision-making.
Fear plays a critical role in many of our decisions. I have seen this from numerous people over the years! Please, do not allow fear control you. Instead, focus on the Lord who has control over your circumstances.
Gary Haugen, the founder of International Justice Mission, a Christian organization that frees people trapped in sex trafficking, describes God's calling to start IJM. I had to decide to abandon my career at the U.S. Department of Justice to become the first employee of a not-for-profit organization. I had worked for three years with friends on the idea of IJM and was very excited, in theory, about this dream of following Jesus in the work of justice in the world. But then I had to act. I had to walk into the Department of Justice and turn in my badge. I suddenly felt very nervous. I feared humiliation. If IJM turned out to be a bad idea and collapsed, my kids were not going to starve. We would probably just have to live with my parents for a while until I could find another job, but with my education, odds are I would soon find a job. I feared failing. I sensed God inviting me to an extraordinary adventure of service, but deep inside I was afraid. He struggled with the decision. He asked himself, When I am older, do I really want to look back and say, Yeah, I sensed that God was calling me to lead a movement to bring rescue to people who desperately need an advocate in the world, but I was afraid of failing and so I never even tried? Fear is normal, but it should not dictate our decision-making.
Then verse 21, the angel says, 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.
The angel instructs Joseph to take Mary as his wife and give him the name Jesus. The name “Jesus,” means “the Lord saves.” Then the significance of the name is explained, “For he shall save his people from their sins.” The angel gave Joseph a vision for what needed to be done!
Then he explains why this has come about. Verses 22 and 23, 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).
I do not know if Joseph knew about this prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 concerning the Messiah being born of a virgin, but if he did it would have given him great confidence in stepping in faith and obedience. If he didn’t, I am confident he looked it up.
Principle 2: Open your eyes to see how God has and is working! Become convinced of God’s Truth!
The angel had given Joseph reasons why he should take Mary as his wife. The angel had confirmed Mary’s pregnancy was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The angel gave Joseph a vision of what needed to be done. The angel also reinforced why this was happening to Mary and Joseph. It was the fulfillment of God’s word.
Remember, Mary went to confirm what the angel Gabriel was true as she went to see Elizabeth.
We also need to wake up to see how God has worked and is working! We need to recognize this world, this universe, didn’t just happen by chance. This world is uniquely designed. One has more faith in believing this world just happened without an Intelligent Designer then one who has faith that God create this world and universe! Prophecy in God’s word has and is being fulfilled. God raised up the Jewish people and is still working among them. Jesus Christ really did live and die on a cross. He rose from the dead. He will come back in all His glory!
Listen, we might not have a supernatural experience like an angel appearing to us, but we have numerous pieces of evidence to believe in God and the Lord Jesus Christ! The problem is people suppress the truth (Romans 1:18). They love the darkness more than the light (John 3:19). People simply want their own way. Be a TRUTHSEEKER and open your eyes to how God has and is working! Be convinced Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
Verses 24, 25, When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
The Lord helped Joseph work through his dilemma and thus he was obedient to God in taking Mary as his wife. He does not argue with God or tell Him that he needs to pray about it first, but he is immediately obedient. He was asked to commit to something that is hard to fathom intellectually, but Joseph accepts God’s word and obeys. Joseph did not step in blind faith; he stepped with the complete confidence/faith that God was working! He took Mary as his wife and was obedient in giving the child the name, Jesus.
After Joseph obeyed the Lord, his life was never the same. The community would not look at him with the same respect and adoration. His life was going to be turned upside down in raising the Son of God. Yet, when he looked into the eyes of that child, Jesus, he knew he had done the right thing.
Principle 3: Step in faith and obedience! Trust and obey the Lord!
When making big decisions, it is quite easy to allow fear to control us. We might even struggle with “What if?” What if I decide wrong? What if I miss God’s will? To make good decisions we need to trust in God’s promises! Remember he is watching out for us and will direct our paths. Joseph came to the best decision he could when he decided to quietly divorce Mary. Yet, God had other plans and made them clear. Most of our decisions will not be overruled by angels, but let us take a step of faith after we struggle in searching God’s will in prayer, from Scriptural principles that apply to our situation, from evaluating all the options, talking with trusted friends, seeking professional advice if necessary, maybe even talking to the pastor.
Proverbs 3:5, 6 states, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Let me close with this story.
Stan Telchin, a successful Jewish businessman, felt betrayed when his 21-year-old daughter, Judy, called home from college to say, "I believe Jesus is the Messiah." Judy's conversion threw the Telchin family into philosophical chaos. Stan, to prove his daughter wrong, began an energetic quest for truth. The search for answers spread to Stan's wife, Ethel, and to their other daughter, Ann, who were both angered, perplexed, then curious, about Judy's radically transformed behavior. When the search created friction between Stan and Ethel, they agreed to pursue their studies independently.
Months later, Stan accepted an invitation to attend a National Convocation of Messianic Jews. He planned to "work the convention" just like he was used to doing with his business. He said, "I intended to meet with anyone who I thought could help me, always probing for more information."
After a series of meetings, Stan lay awake in his dorm room, thinking about his journey. He had arrived at a point of crisis. If the Bible was true—and he had concluded it was—then he really did believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He also admitted to himself that he believed in the Bible as God's inspired Word. But he could not quite say the words to himself, "Jesus is the Messiah."
He asked his roommate, Art, to pray for him. Art obliged, praying simply, "God give Stan your peace, and resolve his inner conflict."
The next morning at breakfast one of the men at Stan's table asked him to pray before the meal. Startled by the request, Stan bowed his head and said: "Praised be Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe. I thank You for the fellowship and the friendship at this table. Thank you for what we have learned at this meeting. I ask You now to bless this food, and I do so…in the name of Jesus, the Messiah." For a moment, he sat there, amazed at what he had just prayed. It had not been planned. The others at the table did not miss it. Their faces were suddenly jubilant. "Stan," said one of them, "You're a believer!" And one by one, they each got up from their seats and hugged Stan. Several cried with joy. Stan began to weep as well. He was not sure how his wife would take the news, but he just had to call her. Instead of his carefully crafted speech, he found himself blurting out, "Ethel, honey, it's me. It is over. I have made my decision. Jesus is the Messiah!" There was a pause on the other line as Stan held his breath. Then his wife's voice came back softly, "Thank God! That makes it unanimous. We've all been waiting for you." Stan's entire family—his wife and both daughters—had also made their decisions to trust Christ as the Messiah. They had each been praying, and waiting patiently, for the Holy Spirit of Christ to draw Stan into a relationship with Himself. (Stan Telchin, Betrayed (Chosen Books, 1981), p.95-100.)
